Ninjago Tales: The Three Knights and The Gambler
by ninjagogirl luvs iceage21
Summary: From hero's to heroines, good and evil, villains and saviors, people who fight beasts and robbers, outlaws and bandits, Ninjago May hold more legends than we know. Three men, Cole, Zane and Jay, are knights that serve for King Garmadon as he sends them on a quest to find Prince Lloyd. See what happens as these knights find Kai, who may hold a very unique power that will save Lloyd.
1. Introduction

NINJAGO TALES

THE THREE KNIGHTS AND THE GAMBLER

INTRODUCTION

THE MISSION

 **OKAY, I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOUR FEELINGS OR ANYTHING, BUT...**

 **WAIT, I FORGOT TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. lovesgod12 HERE!**

 **OKAY, HERE'S THE THING. YOU KNOW HOW ONE SEASON OF NINJAGO COMES ON AND THEN IT JUST TURNS OFF FOR MONTHS OR MAYBE A YEAR. WELL, I'M GOING TO WAIT SIX MONTHS TO PUBLISH THE CHRISTMAS STORY FOR MY NINJAGO FAN FICTION. AFTER THE EARTH NINJAS LEGACY, I'M GOING TO END THE SERIES FOR A WHILE. I WILL CONTINUE WRITING IT AFTER THE NINJAGO CHRISTMAS STORY. I PROMISE. PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME.**

 **SO, FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, I WILL BE WRITING SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING NINJAGO STORIES YOU'VE EVER READ. WELL, YOU HAVEN'T READ THEM YET, BUT YOU WILL SOON. I MAY WRITE A LION KING STORY ABOUT TIMON AND PUMBAA. I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT THAT.**

 **SO, HERE'S MY NEXT STORY. I WILL BE WRITING ANOTHER ONE WHILE I'M WRITING THIS ONE. JUST AS SOON AS I FINISH THE SERIES.**

 **WELL, ENJOY THE STORY.**

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Legend has it that in the seventeen hundreds of Ninjago, people have served and fended for the king and queen. They fight dragons, they save nobles and continue on a quest until they find what they are looking for. Many men and women wonder why these mysterious and brave people do such quest. That's because these men that are protecting Ninjago at the time were not ordinary men.

In the mid-seventeen hundreds, when Ninjago was still ruled by a monarchy, there were three courageous and crazy men who served as knights for King Garmedon, Queen Misako and their ten year old son, Prince Lloyd, the heir to the throne. These three men served as knights, and not only do they help protect their homeland and country, but they help protect it as a team. They help practice the jousting matches, they travel on long, hard and difficult quest, discover missing items and throw villains in the dungeon. That is why they are known as the Three Knights of Ninjago.

Although, they weren't the same people. They wore different colors with different symbols.

The white knight, Sir Zane Julian, has served for the kingdom for three years. His symbols was a snowflake as he was from the Northern border of Ninjago, where it was always snowing. After his father passed a few months before, Zane was found by the young Prince Lloyd and his mother, who brought him in and gave him a home. With time just wasting away, he began to practice his sword fighting. With his skills improving and had an excellent match on the battlefield, King Garmadon held a ceremony in his honor, bestowing him as a knight. His first mission was to bring the Northern bandits to the kingdom where they were to be executed. When he got there, the guards explained to him that the bandits escaped. Not only did he find their hiding place, but he found a poor, beautiful woman in need of help. She was tied to a chair with a damp cloth over her mouth, a cut on her forehead and her ankle was all bruised up and swollen. Arresting the bandits and placing them in the dungeon, the woman, known as Zeah, was given a place to stay in the kingdom until she could find a proper home. Although, that never did happen. Zane automatically fell in love with her, and Zeah felt the same for him. A year later, they were married, and their second anniversary would be celebrated in just a couple of months.

The blue knight, Sir Jay Walker, has served for only a year. Coming from the East, he wore a lightning symbol on his armor in honor of his home. Some wondered why he became a knight in the first place, considering that he was such a chatterbox and a crazy man. Crazy because he was more of an inventor than a fighter. A chatterbox because some say that the king himself has to plug his ears whenever the blue knight said anything. Few think that he's too stupid to be a knight, but most think that he has great potential inside of him. Even the duke, the king`s brother, thought that he had what it took. He was the one that saw what type of skills the blue knight had in the first place. He's never been on a quest by himself, but he almost did before he got captured by a gang of robbers. He was rescued, to say the least. He's never dated a girl in his life, even though he was still young, but had his eyes set on a certain girl that lived with a family of nobles. Considering himself as a noble, he thought that he was the perfect man for the wonderful Miss Jennifer Flannelstone. As long as he didn't start talking, he would be okay.

The black knight, the leader Sir Cole Brookstone, has served for a time limit of two years. His symbol was the mountains as he was a man from the Western border. People have always told stories about his famous ways of leading and his fighting skills. Some try to impersonate him, but it never works out the way they thought it would. The black knight was always the one to be courageous when it came to battles and quest. He was a role model to children in all of Ninjago, including Prince Lloyd. The one time he was ever sent on a quest alone was when the king asked him to search for a lost sword that both he and his brother lost years ago. Finding it after it was taken by outlaws, he found a girl that was forced to be their slave. The black knight took the woman, Carol, and took her to live with the duke and duchess of Ninjago until she was placed in a good home. That time would come soon as he was on his way to give his announcement to the king and queen that he has finally asked Carol for her hand in marriage. His horse walked down the cobblestone road as he was being led by his master to lead him to the kingdom of Ninjago.

Many people passed by Sir Cole, bowing in his honor as he came along. He was respected by every citizen that came towards him. Although his mind was telling him that he didn't need the respect, it was always nice to feel appreciated. He never had to worry about enemies coming in his way, forcing him off his horse so they could kick him around like a rag doll. He never had to worry about some villager coming up to spit in his eye, call him a name and be on their way. He never had to worry about someone that was part of the rebellion to capture and torture him until he told all of the king`s secrets. In fact, even the rebellion respected him and never got in the way. No matter if the people loved him or hated him, he was respected by everyone, which made it easier to protect the king and his family.

Sir Jay and Sir Zane were the same way. They were mounted on their horses, walking down the cobblestone road together when they saw the black knight riding along ahead of them, not even noticing their presence.

Jay rode up faster as he caught up with Cole. "What kind of knight are you if you don't even recognize the presence of Sir Zane and I? You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"I'm sorry for not noticing you from behind, my good friend, but I'm in much of a hurry," Cole said, "I have an announcement to make to the king about myself."

"Oh, I knew this day would come. I should've been prepared. I knew the time would come where you would give up on being a knight and leave the king`s side. Nobody in Ninjago will ever forgive you for this."

"If you would just keep your trap shut for one moment, I might be able to explain to you of why I'm really going to visit the king. You know good and well that I would never give up on being a knight. If I did, I would be known as an outcast. The real reason is that I have good news. You should already know what it is."

"I don't know."

"Surely, the duke sent you a message about it. Didn't the duke sent one for you, Zane?"

"He did, but he told me that he would not be sending one to Jay here on the account that he certainly does not know how to keep a secret," Zane explained.

"I completely forgot," Cole said, "Looks like you won't know until we tell His Majesty."

"Why must I be such a crazy man and a chatterbox?" Jay asked himself, "You think I don't know that people talk about me in such ways?" He used his horse as a shield to block Cole's way from moving any further. "I think it's best if you tell me now. I won't move until you do."

"Out of the way, crazy man!" Cole exclaimed, getting irritated by Jay`s lack of movement, "Are you mad?"

"It seems that he is, Sir Cole," Zane said.

"I won't have it." Cole made his horse gallop and almost knocked Jay`s horse out of the way as he was able to move just in time. Cole gave him a snarling look. "Next time think before you move."

Before the three could move along, a man on his horse wearing noble clothing came galloping down the road, causing civilians to run from the horses path before they were trampled. He stop at the sight of the three knights standing around in the middle of the road. His breathing was rapid, even though he wasn't the one running.

"My lords, I have come by the permission of the king and queen," the nobleman said, "They need you for an emergency. Come to the kingdom at once." Galloping away on his horse, the three knights took that as their cue and galloped to the castle.

They hurried to the stables and placed their horses in the hands of the guards of the outside. Walking up the stairs in a respectful way, they were led inside by one of the door guards. Once they were in front of the doors that led to the throne room, the guard walked away from their presence, leaving the three knights alone with the wonderful King Garmadon and his beautiful wife Queen Misako. Although, they weren't their normal, usual selves. Garmadon was pacing the floors while Misako was in her throne chair, her eye make-up running down her face, giving the three men the thought that she was crying. They knew something dangerous had happened, or else their Majesties wouldn't be this upset.

"Your Majesties," Cole said, bowing in respect, "We received a message stating that you wish to see us."

"Yes, of course," King Garmadon said, "We apologize for the inconvenient behavior that we are showing, but the news that we have recently received has grieved our hearts dearly."

"Our son has been kidnapped by the rebellion!" Queen Misako exclaimed, running towards her husband and clutching him tightly.

The knights gasped in horror. The heir to the throne. Kidnapped by the rebellion. The group name rang in their ears as they couldn't stand hearing it seeing the sight of them. Zane stepped up with no emotions in his eyes, even though they usually contained sympathy every once in a while. "Explain, your Majesty."

"My wife went inside his room to wake him up," Garmadon said, "When she walked in, she noticed that Lloyd wasn't in his bed. Instead, she saw a note lying on his pillow. It stated, `We have your son. If you ever want to see your precious little prince again, pay us half your treasures and he will be yours once more.` Signed by the rebellion. I don't understand. It didn't have a map or which border they're located in. That's why we need you to go out and find our son."

"Please bring him home," Misako said, her sobbing quieting down a bit.

"Your Majesties, this is a quest that we were born to do," Jay said, "Not to mention that we are saving the one and only heir to the throne."

Cole sighed. "We shall leave the hour after sunrise tomorrow, your Majesty. I don't mean to get us off topic, but I was recently on my way to the castle to announce some good news."

"If it will keep our minds off our son for half the day, we will accept what you will have to say," Garmadon said.

"Tell us," Misako said.

"Your Majesties, I am betrothed to marry Miss Carol Dominez." Sir Cole said it with enthusiasm and nervousness landing in the pit of his stomach.

"Well, this is wonderful news, Sir Cole," Garmedon said, "I'm very happy to hear it."

"I hope you don't mind helping out with some of the planning. If that is okay with you, your Majesty."

"I shall do all I can. I will be inviting Miss Carol Dominez over to the kingdom from time to time."

"I understand, your Majesty. We shall be on our way."

"We'll return with the young Prince Lloyd in no time at all," Jay said, walking out of the throne room.

"Good day, your Majesties," Zane said.

"Good day, my loyal knights," Garmadon said, "Find our son. Do all you can to do so."

"Please bring him home," Misako said, quietly sobbing with her head buried in her husband's chest.

The knights left the throne room and walked outside, mounting on their horses and galloping away to their noble homes. A quest was formed and they would be prepared for the worst if time were to tell. These men have been through quest like no other fighter has ever been through. There was one secret power that no ordinary fighting master would ever have the ability to obtain. These three knights knew the art of spinjitzu.

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 **THERE YOU HAVE IT. COLE, JAY AND ZANE ARE THE THREE KNIGHTS OF NINJAGO WHO SERVE FOR KING GARMADON AND QUEEN MISAKO. WHERE IS KAI, YOU MAY ASK? DON'T WORRY. HE'LL BE IN IT SOON.**

 **PRINCE LLOYD, THE HEIR TO THE THRONE, HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE REBELLION. WHO COULD BE PART OF IT? MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHO COULD BE LEADING IT?**

 **I HOPE YOU GUYS LOVE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	2. The Gambler

CHAPTER 1

THE GAMBLER

In the Southern border of Ninjago, there lived a village by the name of Ignacia. It was just a simple little farming village, but it was also a place where people could get robbed at easily. There has never been a noble who has ever lived in Ignacia. Not even a poor village man was ever able to become a noble. Not even a poor, beautiful woman was ever able to marry a noble if she tried. Not even the king himself would ever step foot in the depths of Ignacia. That's how bad it can get. While some commoners would consider a calm, peaceful life farming, some would think otherwise. Some commoners would rather steal or gamble their way into money. Most gambling games were either playing dice or cards, even though they were prohibited and should not be played. There was one young man out of them all who was known as the greatest gambler in Ignacia. A fully blooded Ninjian, Kai Smith was known to have a pair of hardworking dice that would win him into an enormous amount of money. He hardly ever played cards because he always says that he gets bad luck whenever he looks at the sight of them. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. He never lost a game at dice, though. The only reason was because they were loaded dice and had some metal placed inside where he could always get a double up every time. Even though his opponent used them, the metal would sense the enemy and they would never win, giving Kai the opportunity to receive the gold. Nobody even noticed that the dice were loaded. Kai made sure that nobody ever will.

This man with spikey brown hair and green eyes never wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. His late father was the village blacksmith, and before he ever passed, he gave the shop to Nya because he knew that Kai would never find a job. His only way of making money would be to spend the rest of his life as a criminal. Kai understood why his father gave his sister the shop, but he was furious at the fact that he may end up as a blacksmith`s assistant for the rest of his life. That's why he became a gambler so he could make his own money and would never have to worry about Nya giving him any. He was always out, especially late at night. He would always be playing dice with thieves, bandits, outlaws and gangs of robbers. That was how he spent his days and it would remain that way until he figured out a way to make money in a different lifestyle.

Right at the moment, Kai was inside an old abandoned cabin playing dice with a group of gamblers that lived in the village. He's spent plenty of time with these men to see how good and bad they were at playing. They were on round nineteen of the game, playing for the third and final time of the round. The enemy playing Kai rolled the dice on the table and was shocked to see that he didn't get a double. Kai laughed his usual game playing way.

"Looks like you lose again, Bernie," Kai said, "Looks like I'm gonna win, which ends up with you handing over thirty pieces of solid gold coins."

"You haven't even taken a turn yet," the man known as Bernie said.

"Have I?" Kai picked up the dice and dropped them on the table, giving him a perfect double of six for both of the dice. "How do you like me now?"

"We're playing one last round. I'll bet for all the gold that you've taken from us and the remaining gold that's still in our pockets."

"Bring it on."

Kai and his opponent played the first two plays and both ended up with doubles. Bernie wanted to make sure that he won all his money back, so he decided to use his pair of white loaded dice so he could win.

"It seems that we have a tie," Bernie said, "This is the last play of the final round, but I'm gonna make it a little challenging. This time, we used my dice." The group cheered on as they saw what their leader was up to.

"I've said it before, I'll say it again," Kai said, "Bring it on. I'll go first."

Bernie handed his dice over to Kai. What Bernie didn't know was that Kai knew his plan. The white dice were the same as his red pair. Both of them were loaded. He knew what had to be done if he even held his opponent's dice. When Bernie wasn't looking, Kai cupped his hands around the dice and blew on them, making the metal land on both six sides. He shook the dice carefully and threw them down on the table, once again receiving a perfect pair of six. Bernie looked at Kai in disgust and confusion.

"How did you manage to do that?" Bernie asked, his voice echoing through the walls.

"I have my ways," Kai said, "Ways that I never plan to tell. Care to take the final turn?" He held out the dice.

"Give me my dice! I'll show you how to play this game." Bernie shook the dice furiously and slammed them on the table, giving him the number five and six. The entire gambling group was shocked. "How did I lose? I used my own dice."

"You snooze, you lose," Kai said, standing up and reaching out his hand, "I demand the gold that you promised."

"Wait a minute, boss," someone from the group said, picking up Kai`s dice and sniffing them. He knew the scent as his eyes went wide. "The boy's dice is loaded. He's been cheatin` us out of our money."

"You slick little monster," Bernie said, removing himself from his seat, "I should've know that you've been cheating us out of our hard earn cash."

Kai backed away from his seat and started making his way towards the door. "Listen, gentlemen, I had no idea that the dice were loaded. I just simply walked into a store and bought them without even knowing they were filled with metal until... now." As they were closing in on him, Kai grabbed the gold, opened the door and ran as if his life depended on it. The group of gamblers ran after him, drawing out their swords, yelling and demanding for their money.

Kai ran through the farming village, ignoring the people that he bumped into. He jumped on top of carts and trees, wheelbarrows and stands. He even jumped from roof to roof on people's homes. Knowing that the group of gamblers would be gaining on him at any moment, Kai saw a village man leading his group of sheep across the dirt path road. Seeing an unopened crate in the middle of the road, Kai ran on top of it and leaped his way over the flock of sheep, landing safely on the other side. Without their realization, the gamblers didn't see the sheep and went through them instead of over them. Luckily, they didn't make it to the other side, but it caused the man who owned the sheep to stop the flock. He yelled something at the man in the Ninjian`s native tongue.

Kai stopped to look at the men, groaning as they were trying their best to fumble their way out of the soft, wool mess. Kai looked at them in a mischievous way and laughed. "Nice doing business with you. I hope we play again soon. Just remember to schedule a time."

"You'll pay for this, Smith," Bernie yelled as Kai ran off.

Kai made his way back to the blacksmith shop and slammed the door opened. He breathed heavily and closed the door, making the shop shake and causing some of the newly made swords to fall on the floor. Kai dropped the bags of gold and ran to pick up the weapons, placing them back carefully on the wall. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He made sure everything was back in order before Nya saw the inside of the shop.

"Don't even try to hide it, Kai," Nya said, walking towards her brother, "I know good and well that you slammed the door and made everything fall off the walls."

"I was trying to make sure you wouldn't noticed," Kai said, "Whatever happened to saying a friendly hello?"

"You don't deserve one half the times. I know you were out gambling again. What happened this time? Did they find out that you had loaded dice?"

"They did." Kai chuckled while staring at the floor. "I don't think I'll be playing with those guys ever again."

"You won't be playing ever again. There's too much work to do in the shop and I don't have time to wait for you to return home just so you can make money in your own way. Haven't you heard of a different way to earn money?"

"You want people to think that I work for my own sister?" Kai snorted in his sister's face. "Fat chance that's ever gonna happen. I don't work. I gamble. That's how I decide to live my life, and I'm not gonna stand here and let you control it."

"I'm just trying to help you do the right thing, Kai. I don't want you to end up in the king`s dungeon because you bet a noble to play dice with you and took all his money. I don't want to see your face on a wanted poster. I want to see your face in person. Doesn't that sound like a better choice?"

Kai sighed. "I wish Dad gave me the shop. I would've become rich by making my own iron."

"Father gave me the shop because you were too irresponsible. You wouldn't stop your gambling ways."

"And I never will, so get used to it."

Nat shoved the broom in her brother's face. "Get to work. I'll pay you when I'm ready to pay you."

"I don't want any of your money."

"It wouldn't matter, anyway. You never use your money responsibly. All you do is go out and buy new machinery or new weapons for yourself. Why should I pay you, anyway?"

"Because, for some reason, I ended up working for you."

"You know, if Father were still here, he wouldn't take that kind of tone from you, and neither will I."

"You have no rights to control me. You're just a girl."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means you don't have the authority to boss me around. You have no rights. Not a single girl in Nin does."

A knock came on the door. Kai hid his face in case it was those gambling men. Nya groaned and opened the door, seeing that it was only the man that some thought pretended he could tell the future. His eyes were filled with joy and fear. He looked at Nya with wide blue eyes.

"Excuse me, madam," the man said, "Would Kai Smith happen to be here?"

"He is, but he's working right now," Nya said.

Kai pushed his way in front of Nya. "I'm not." He sighed. "What do you want?"

"I have news that I must warn you about," he said, "Three noble will be crossing through our village tomorrow afternoon and it showed you getting in their way. I came to warn you not to do so."

Kai laughed, taking the explanation as a joke. "Your just a fake. A phony. That's all you are. That's all you'll ever be. Not one noble has ever crossed into this village. Not even the king himself has ever came here. We are one of the most dangerous villages in all of Nin. If I were you, I would choose something better to do with my life."

"But it's all true. I'm telling you the truth. Not one lie has spread from my lips."

"Good day, sir." Kai closed the door and looked out the window to make sure the man was gone. He turned his attention towards his sister. "Can you believe that man? He's always believed that he can predict the future. Why should I believe him? Nobody else does."

"I don't know, Kai," Nya said, "I don't think he was lying."

Kai scoffed. "That's what all the good people around here say."

"I'm serious, Kai. I've spoken to him a few times myself and all the predictions he's ever made about me were true."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, I asked him if I will be married one day, and he said that I would marry a man with a wonderful, caring heart and a fantastic career. I asked him if I will have children afterwards and he said that I'll have plenty to go around."

"A man like him can't predict the future."

"There's more. I asked him about what was to come soon. He told me that Father would pass on and that I would be in charge of the shop. Then I asked him what was in store for you in the future. He told me something great will happen to you, but it would be a long, hard, dangerous journey."

"I don't believe any of that."

"Well, maybe you should."

"Well, maybe I shouldn't. I don't care what you have to say." Kai slammed the broom on the ground. He grabbed his wool coat and hat. "I'm going out. Don't try and stop me."

"Where are you going?"

"Wherever I wanna go. Just leave me alone." Kai opened the door.

Nya walked up to her brother and grabbed his shoulder. "Kai, if you leave, don't even think about coming home."

"Your not allowed to tell me what to do anymore. This is my home. I'll come home whenever I please. I said it before, I'll say it again. You have no rights and you never will." He slammed the door shut, leaving Nya alone, stunned and on the verge of tears.

She shut her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. She sighed as she said, "Great Sensei, here my words. Please help my brother."

Nya walked over to the counter and started wiping the dust away. She wondered if that great thing will ever happen to Kai. It was easy for him to refuse such things. Once it happened, there was no turning back. She wanted Kai to be something more than a gambler. One day, Kai would make the right decision. She knew that he would. One day.

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 **WHOA. A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH DRAMA IN THIS CHAPTER. THIS IS WHY I RATED IT K+ THIS TIME. THE THING IS, YOU'VE GOT A GAMBLER WHO HAS A PAIR OF LOADED DICE THAT ALWAYS GETS INTO TROUBLE BUT HE USUALLY GETS OUT OF IT BY RUNNING OFF WITH THE MONEY.**

 **AFTER ALL THAT HAPPENS, THIS GAMBLER COMES HOME AND DOESN'T WANT TO LISTEN TO HIS SISTER ABOUT DOING THE RIGHT THING AND TELLS HER THAT SHE HAS NO RIGHTS. THEN HE LEAVES AND WON'T COME BACK UNTIL LATER. HOW RIDICULOUS AND RUDE.**

 **I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT MY FIRST CHAPTER GOT THREE REVIEWS. I'M NOT BRAGGING OR ANYTHING. I'VE NEVER HAD THAT MANY REVIEWS FOR THE INTRODUCTION BEFORE. AT LEAST I DON'T THINK I EVER HAD. I'LL HAVE TO CHECK AGAIN. FORGET I SAID ANYTHING.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	3. The Night Before

CHAPTER 2

THE NIGHT BEFORE

After a long day of traveling around the villages surrounding the kingdom, the knights decided to call it a day and left for home. Sir Zane couldn't wait to see his beautiful wife, who would always be waiting for his arrival. Even though she was a noble, Zeah couldn't help but do chores around the house, knowing that she was poor and helpless before she ever met Zane. Even though they had a nurse and a maid to do all the cleaning and cooking, Zeah just wasn't the type of person to sit around and drink tea with the ladies all the time. She was more of a housewife and would become an excellent mother one day whenever children came into view. The door opened with a sword being placed on the wall and a cloak placed on a hanger. Zeah`s footsteps echoed through the large house as she ran towards her husband, grasping him in a bear hug, kissing him as she usually did when he came home.

"I am so happy to see that you are home, darling," Zeah said, placing her head on his chest, "News has been spreading around the kingdom stating that the young heir to the throne is missing. Is it true, my love?"

"It is, sweetheart," Zane said, placing his head on top of hers, "I will be leaving tomorrow. An hour after sunrise."

"It is so soon. Our second anniversary is coming up. You have not forgotten, have you?"

Zane chuckled. "Not one second. It is four weeks away, to be exact. I promise to be back before then."

"You will be traveling all over the country. I may not be correct, but I believe that the rebellion has kidnapped the prince. Of course, that is just my theory."

"I thank you for giving me some ideas, and lucky for us, we know the exact locations for where the rebellion may be hiding at. You never know where they might be. They might be inside a cave, under a rock or in a tree. You have to know where the enemy is hiding at."

"I suppose you are right. You know about the rebellion and their secret passageways a lot more than I ever would."

"I am sure you must know, considering the fact that you married a knight. A person that has courage, strength and responsibility. A man that is willing to do whatever he can to save you if something were to ever happen. If I am willing to take a risk for you, then that is exactly what I will do. I cannot live without you."

"Neither can I." Zeah sighed, looking out the window. "I heard that Sir Cole is betrothed to marry Miss Carol Dominez. After a whole year, he decides that now is the best time. It only took us six months to realize that you and I loved each other so much, we couldn't live without one another. That is the reason we decided to be together."

"Of all the women that I would ever want to be with, I am glad that it was you that I found."

"Why is it that men are so much more important than women nowadays? Most of you think that since men go out and do the hard work, women are like your shadows. You do not think that we work hard everyday to make sure that the house is clean, dinner is cooked, clothes are made and things are bought. We did not asked for a maid or a nurse. The king gave them to us, and I appreciate the fact that he did, but sometimes I still feel more like a poor girl than a noble women. I feel as though I have to cook and clean. I feel as though that I have to clean your armor and make your clothes. Most of the ladies around here think I am crazy, but I am not like them. I will never be like them. I would rather be at home rather than sip tea all day, making the maid do all the cleaning. You know that as well as I do."

"You can do whatever you please. It is no bother to me. Although, I must say that women are not the shadows of men. They just think they are, but as they get older, they understand that their husbands are only doing what is best for them. I understand that you work as hard as I do everyday. Besides, you clean and cook a lot better than the maid ever would."

Zeah laughed as she kissed her husband. His sweet, loving lips were always kissable and pleasing. Once they broke apart, she led her husband to the dining room, where thy kissed again for a moment and broke apart quickly when they saw the maid come out with dinner.

"I hope you do not mind waiting to pack, darling," Zeah said, "I made a special dinner for the two of us. I made your favorite."

"Let me guess. Beef Wellington?"

"Yes."

Leading him to the table, Zeah served her husband his dinner as they both enjoyed it together by the time she sat down and ate. On a night like this, before a quest, Zane would be packing up and start preparing to leave tomorrow. He decided that would wait. After all, he didn't want to turn down his favorite meal. Especially in front of his beautiful, loving wife. After almost two years together, he knew her by heart and with passion. Sweet, darling passion.

The moon rose in the sky as the nightly fog began to rise. The shops were closed, roads were empty, lights shined through people's homes as they were beginning to prepare for dinner. Hoof steps could be heard on the cobblestone ground as a horse and his master walked straight through the town. The fog clearing a bit, the master turned out to be Sir Jay. Some would expect that on the night before a quest, the king`s knights would be packing and getting ready for the journey when the sun awakened. Zane and Cole would, but not Jay. Most nights, he wouldn't return to his home until half the night was over with. He would just take a stroll around, looking for any criminals to fight. Some nights, he didn't want to go home. What was the point in doing so? Nobody was waiting for his return.

Sir Jay began his life as a middle class person. His father, Edward Walker, or Ed for short, was a highly skilled inventor. He created things that most people would dare not touch, but still purchase anyway. Wanting so bad as to follow in his father's footsteps, Jay decided to create inventions of his own, making him be ranked as a beginning student, since only few bought his creations. He continued his passion, but sometimes, when he went out, he was practicing his sword fighting, trying to make sure he was prepared for anything that hit him in the face. In fact, that's how his days as a knight began. He was out one day, pretending that his enemy was a tree when a rock hit him in the eye, causing a scar to appear above his right eyebrow that remains to this day. He saw that it was the Duke of Nin, also known as Wu.

Wu wanted to see some skills that Jay had so far, and without a moment of hesitation, Jay showed off his sword fighting abilities. A few days later, with just a blink of an eye, Jay became the Blue Knight. At first, he was satisfied about his rank into nobility. He would finally show people who he really was and show off not only his powers, but his creations that usually never worked right. Some people just laughed in his face and called him a crazy man. Noticing his continuing chatter, they usually call him the Crazy Chattering Knight, the man that's too stupid to help others. That just embarrassed him, making him go ballistic and held out his sword, stating to the people that he was a person and they were all too stupid to help others, caring about nobody but themselves. Which is why he travels mostly at night. It keeps him away from the blistering villagers.

Some nights, before he decided that the best thing to do was to head home since there were no criminals to take down, he would stop at the Flannelstone`s estate, looking at the shadow that was showing in the night. That shadow happened to be Miss Jennifer Flannelstone, the woman that he had his heart set to. It was the only times he would set eyes on her. By standing in front of her home while sitting on his horse, Jay would wonder why he never had the nerve to even talk to her. He's tried so many times, but always ended up making a fool of himself. By that moment, he would just simply walk away and try again another time. Even though it took him three weeks to try and talk to her again, he was not giving up.

Seeing that he's spent enough time around the Flannelstone estate, he and his horse walked away before one of the servants came and chased him away with their whip. In the land of Nin, every servant and maid must know the art of self defense, which is why they carry a whip around with them at all times. Lucky for Jay, he was never smacked by any of them, but one of these days he would if he wasn't careful. While traveling on his way home, Jay was wondering why he became a knight in the first place. Fighting was never his dream. Inventing was. If only he could go back to that simple little middle class life. It would've been a whole lot better than nobility. Unfortunately, he had to stick with what he had. This was his life and he just had to get used to it.

Night was quickly passing by as Sir Cole decided to take a stroll around the nobles neighborhood. He had just finished packing, but he was hoping to say a quick goodbye to his loving fiancee before he left in the morning. Carol`s time to rest for the night was coming soon, so he had to make the best of it. He stopped his horse next to the stables as his boots crashed on the ground so hard, some would think a piece of glass broke off a vase. He walked up to the brick made home, knocking on the wooden door. It opened, revealing Carol who was still wearing her daily dress from the day of working for the duke and duchess. Her eyes looked exhausted, but a smile showed across her face when she saw Cole's face. At that moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. They kissed for a minute or two before he let her go, staring into her beautiful, sparkling blue eyes. She looked at him with all the love that she could give.

"Did you tell them?" Carol asked.

"I did," Cole said, "They will be wanting to see you from time to time. Your dreams for a beautiful wedding have come true, my dear."

"I've never though these beautiful moments would ever come, my darling. I always thought that I would be a servant to criminals on the run for the rest of my life, but when you came along, I couldn't of asked for a better person to help me when I needed it the most. I enjoy the life I'm living right now. I must thank you again, though."

"There is no reason to have good manners about it anymore, darling. It's all in the past. Don't live in the past. Live in the future. Think about what is ahead of us right now."

Carol sighed, looking at her fiancee with fear and a worrisome expression. "I know why your here. You came to tell me that you're leaving for a quest tomorrow. Looks like our special day will have to wait for some time."

"I promise to be back soon." Cole kissed her forehead. "Have I ever broken a promise?"

"Not around me. This quest must be important if your coming to visit me."

"The prince has been kidnapped. As a knight, it is my responsibility to take down the bad and save the good. It's not a passion. It's not a dream. It's something that I chose to do."

"If you didn't do what you do now, where would I be?"

"I suppose you would still be serving runaway criminals." The old clock by the bridge chimed, sounding like an alarm to Cole as he knew that he needed to start heading home. "Looks like I must be on my way. I will see you after my quest."

"Come back to me soon, darling."

With one last kiss, Carol closed the noisy wooden door as Cole's footsteps continued to sound like pieces of broken glass as he returned to his horse. Giving the grazing animal a good kick on the side, the galloping companion ran as if his life depended on it, his master motioning him to go from one direction to another. Cole would miss his beautiful fiancee, but his quest had to continue, no matter what. Unless it was extremely important, he would not accept the quest. This one he had to take. On nights like this, he wondered why he was destined to be a knight.

Somewhere around midnight, inside the little blacksmith shop of Ignacia Village, Nya walked downstairs into the work area. Her brother was still out and she was starting to worry about him. Usually he was home the hour before midnight, if he didn't make any stops. That was one reason why their father gave Nya the shop in the first place. Kai wouldn't wake up until ten in the morning and would leave at noon to start his gambling raid. He was usually back at three in the afternoon. Some nights, he wouldn't leave the house because he was tired from a long day. The nights he did was when Nya bothered him too much and always told him what to do. He would usually just go out and talk to people while drinking a cup of sparkling strawberry tea. All the sugar that was added into it made him so hyperactive that he didn't want to go to sleep. He usually ended up falling asleep at two in the morning. That was how his life was, and apparently Nya was revolving around it. Seeing as though her brother wouldn't come home by himself, she grabbed one of her candles and opened the door. Before she could walk out, she saw Kai standing in front of her, making her jump back at least a few feet, gasping in fear and placing a hand over her chest to calm her nerves.

"What's the matter with you?" Kai asked, laughing.

"You startled me," Nya said, "I was just about to go out and search for you."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Your usually home a lot earlier than this. Where have you been?" She set the candle down on the windowsill. "I was starting to worry about you."

"I didn't think you cared."

"I never said that I didn't love you, brother. Now where have you been."

Kai sighed, looking at his sister straight in the face. "I went to see that guy that thinks he can predict the future."

"Nothing that I would believe. He told me that good fortune would come my way. I would have special abilities, I would work for great people and I would help serve for my homeland. I would end my gambling ways and make a decision to help the people. What's the point of ending it now?"

"Did he say anything else?"

"He told me it would all begin with three nobles passing by the village tomorrow, but I still don't believe that."

"Maybe you should. Something great may happen in the future. You just don't know it yet."

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to bed." He started climbing up the stairs.

"Kai, would you at least try to help me in the shop tomorrow? I can't do it all by myself. I'm only one person. Please. I'm asking you nicely."

"I'll think about it, but I may not do it."

"At least it's a good start. Good night, brother.

"Good night, sister."

With that, Kai went upstairs to bed. Nya stayed down for a few minutes to lock the door and make sure Kai didn't bring any visitors home. It didn't happen very often, but sometimes her brother would bring a guest over and he would stay for the night and leave the next day. Some thought she was crazy to even let her brother bring in strangers, but when she had no control over him, she had to let it go. Without another thought for how the night came to be, she blew out the candle on the windowsill and went upstairs to bed. The night was growing short and she needed some sleep. Tomorrow would be a better day. At least she hoped it would be.

* * *

 **WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT. THE NIGHT BEFORE THE QUEST, ALTHOUGH THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE SET IN IGNACIA VILLAGE. THIS IS KIND OF TELLING KAI`S STORY WHEN HE FIRST MEETS THE KNIGHTS AND SHOWS OFF SOME IMPRESSIVE STUFF. KAI JUST DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S COMING TO HIM.**

 **HERE'S WHAT I KNOW. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOW THE KNIGHTS TREAT THE LADIES THEY KNOW AND THE WAY KAI TREATS HIS SISTER. LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A WINNER FOR WHO TREATS THE LADIES WITH KINDNESS. THE KNIGHTS ARE THE WINNERS. SORRY, KAI, LOOKS LIKE YOU DON'T WIN THIS ROUND. MAYBE NEXT TIME.**

 **I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	4. Nobles in Ignacia

CHAPTER 3

NOBLES IN IGNACIA

The sun was scorching as the villagers outside were working and staying in the shade wherever they could find it. It was an hour after noon. The door to the blacksmith shop opened, revealing Kai with an empty sack in his hand. While Nya was out, it was the perfect chance for him to go out and do a little gambling. This time he was hoping to find a traveling salesman. Walking slowly down the road, a few people started running towards stores and homes to announce that three strange men were about to enter the village. Kai decided to ignored the commotion and continued on his way. His mind suddenly switched around when he heard them say three strange men. That gave him the idea to decide it was best to bet them at a game of dice while he still had a chance. He was hoping they had money on them and was not hoping for them to have a pair of dice. Having those thoughts, he ran towards the entrance of the village.

It seemed that the entire village scrambled around just to see three men on horses. Children did their best to budge up into the front row. Farmers came up with their herds of animals while mothers had either baskets or babies in their hands. Everyone stopped their jobs just to see these strangers. _How important were these people?_ Kai wondered. Once these strangers entered the village, it came to reason why they were so important to look at.

These were no ordinary men. They were the three knights of Nin. They served for the king. They went on journeys. They worked together too much like a team. While some people thought it was the greatest thing in the world, others didn't understand why they were here in the first. Look at them coming in the village with their fancy boots and silky cloaks. Look at the armor they wear on their arms and legs. Look at the symbols they wear on their chest that show on their shirts. Look at the fancy swords they carry and the groomed horses they ride. While some thought it was sickening, others thought it was wonderful. No matter how many nice things they had, they could always count on these knights to help them with the bandits and criminals surrounding them.

Kai didn't care what others were thinking at the moment. All he cared about were that nobles entered into the village, and when someone that valuable came, he knew they had money. When money was involved, Kai would do anything to get his hands on it. When the crowd started dying down, he saw his opportunity and ran in front of the the nobles horses, making the one in black stop his horse and calm it down before it started going crazy on him. Although the man in blue couldn't keep his horse under control, making it kick him off and fall in a water barrel. The white knight climbed off his horse and helped his companion out of the soaking mess, even though he was already soiled with fresh spring water.

Trying to run off, Kai was grabbed by the collar and had a sword held out to him just waiting to reach his throat. He looked at the black knight in fear. "Is there a problem, sir?"

"You bet there is," the black night said, "What kind of person would walk out in the middle of the street when he saw earlier that three horses with men on them were traveling in that direction?"

Kai chuckled nervously. "I guess some people just make a lot of mistakes around here, if you know what I mean."

"What were you even trying to do?"

What would it matter to Kai? He was going to gamble with whoever he wanted, no matter who it was. "I was waiting for a group of men like you to stick around for a little bit. Tell me, noble, do you know how to play dice?"

"What kind of noble would want to play a sick game like that?" He threw Kai on the ground, holding his sword to the gambler`s chin. "You think that your the smartest man in the world, huh? Trying to gamble me out of all my money, aren't you? What kind of person do you think I am?"

"A fool that doesn't know how to play against the rules instead of going for them."

"I'll show you who's the fool." The black knight raised his sword up into the air, above his own head. Just before he could slash Kai in the chest, he heard footsteps running his way and jumping in between them. It was a woman, that's for sure, but that woman happened to be Nya.

"Stop," Nya shouted, staring the black knight straight in the face, "Please don't do this. He's my brother."

"Out of the way, madam," the black knight said, "This man is a menace to society and he needs to be taken care of."

"Please, Sir Cole, he's the only family I have. I have no one else left but him. Yes, he's a gambler, but I need him here with me. Please. Spare his life." Tears started coming to Nya`s eyes, pleading her heart out for Kai`s life. It was true that Kai was her only family after her father passed away. She would do anything to keep him alive.

Sir Cole looked at his teammates to see what they had to say about all this. They were both silent. Nothing was to be said. Sighing, Sir Cole put his sword away and reached out a hand to help Kai up. "I apologize for my actions. Here, let me help you."

"Get away from me," Kai said, slapping Cole's hand away and getting up on his own, "I don't need your help. Just get out of here. Nobody wants the king`s men in this village."

"Kai, don't say that to him," Nya said, "He was only trying to help you."

"Back off, Nya. Don't try and start up anything."

"Hey, you better treat your sister with a little respect," Cole said, pulling out his sword.

"Why should I?" Kai asked, "She doesn't have any rights."

"I'll show you who doesn't have any rights." Cole pointed his sword at Kai`s chin.

"Stop it, please," Nya said, getting in between them once again, "Let's try and act like civil men here. I mean the two of you. I beg of you to do so."

"What's the reason in doing so?" Kai asked, "He's a noble and I'm a gambler. We both live in two different worlds."

"I'd like to act like a civil man to you, gambler, but with the kind of attitude your giving me, it makes me want to just cut you up into dice," Cole said, "Let's see how you like it when your made into your own game piece."

"Sir Cole, stop this," the blue knight said, squeezing the remaining water out of his brunette hair.

"Can you not see that he means no harm?" the white knight asked.

Looking to see a bit of fear in Kai`s eyes and the tears that looked like they would spill out any second from Nya, Cole placed his sword in its case and looked at the two siblings. "I apologize once again. My temper got the best of me. I didn't mean to fight back. I hope you can forgive me."

"I can forgive you," Nya said, doing a cutesy.

"You've caused too much trouble to be forgiven," Kai said.

"Be respectful, Kai, and don't say anything against it." Nya turned to face the three knights. "Sir Cole, Sir Zane and Sir Jay, why don't you come back with us to our home? We would love to have you all join us for dinner and maybe even stay for the night."

"You can't be serious," Kai said.

"I am serious, Kai. Keep your trap shut about it."

"I think we've caused enough trouble for one day, my dear lady," Sir Jay said, "We'll find a different place to camp for the night."

"Ignore my brother," Nya said, "He doesn't like anything I do. I insist. Come stay at our home. Just for tonight."

The nobles stood there looking at each other. Silence filled the space that they had. Even Kai didn't say a word, and he mostly said something all the time. The silence was broken by Sir Zane. "We would be delighted to stay with you in your humble home. Do you have food and a place for our horses to stay at?"

"We don't have any stables, but we do have a barn," Nya said, "We only have two cows that live in there, but they mostly stay outside. They won't bother your horses, though."

"Do you have a place for us?" Cole asked.

"We have a spare bedroom that used to be our parent's room," Nya said, close to tears once again by mentioning her parents, "There's only one bed in there. I hope you three have a plan for that."

"There's no reason in staying in you mother and father's master bedroom," Jay said, "We'll just sleep in the living area."

"I doubt you'll be comfortable in there," Kai said, snorting.

"Kai," Nya said, her anger starting to rise.

"Well, what do you expect me to say to a bunch of stupid nobles?"

"I don't care what kind of thoughts you have about them. They are staying with us and you can't say anything against it. Now be a gentlemen for once and help lead these men to our home."

Sighing with anger and frustration, Kai help lead the men to their home. The men left their horses in Kai`s care with Nya making sure that her brother placed them inside the barn and not let them run off. Once that was done, Kai went inside the shop and spent the rest of the afternoon sweeping the floors. Once the broom was put away, Nya called out that dinner was ready, giving Kai the notion to come up and eat. He had to look at the nobles no matter what so he just had to deal with it. After all, it was just one night. How bad would it be? All he had to do was go through dinner and wait for the nobles to slumber so he could get the chance to escape. He hasn't gambled all day and he was starting to go crazy. Dinner would be over soon. He just knew it.

He heard a relaxing and humorous conversation being made in the dining room. Kai walked inside to look at the nobles with food in front of them. They didn't even noticed it. They were just simply talking about useless things that Kai didn't care about. Without any eyes on him, Kai simply grabbed a chair and sat down, filling his plate and taking a roll. Before he could even place the bread on his plate, something sharp came up and sliced it in half. He looked to see Sir Jay put his sword away while Sir Cole just laughed. Kai looked towards Sir Zane to see what his actions would be. Zane just sat there and continue to enjoy his meal. Kai`s face turn red with fury as he grabbed another roll and placed it on his plate just in time. Nya had finally sat down to enjoy her own meal, but one look at Kai`s face showed her that he still wasn't happy about these knights being in their home. She decided to start up a conversation before things got out of hand.

"So, what brings you gentlemen out here in our lovely border?" Nya asked, "I know the castle is only a few hours away from here, but why have you come to our village? Not a lot of men like you ever come here."

"Were on a quest as we speak, madam," Sir Cole said, "We were sent to find Prince Lloyd, the heir to the kingdom of Nin`s throne."

Nya gasped. "What happened to him?"

"He was taken by the rebellion," Sir Zane said, "We will not stop the search until he is found."

"You might wanna try searching up on the hills," Nya explained, "That's where all the Southern villains come from."

"Way to ruin everything, Nya," Kai said, "Some of those guys come down here so I can gamble with them. What are you trying to do? Make me die of boredom?"

"I think those men belong behind bars, Kai. I'm just trying to protect you. Maybe you should spend a lot less time taking money and spend a lot more time earning it."

"I don't earn things. I take things. You need to start getting this through your head. You will never be able to control me."

"You better start getting this through your head. You will learn that I am in control. You will learn to do what I say before I decide to send you out the door."

"Here's the thing. You can't have any control over me. You can't tell me what to do. You can't kick me out of this house. You can't do anything because you have no rights. You can't do anything. Maybe I should be the one in control. After all, I am the man of the house. You should be cleaning while I should be working and I will work whatever job I want. Where's your control now?"

"The will states that I have control over the shop. The will states that I have control over you. That's what Father wanted me to do, and I'm going to continue doing it."

"Fine. Have it your way." Kai slammed his fork on the table. "I'm done." He got up from the table. He was about to go downstairs before a sword was brought to his chin. _That's the third time this has happened to me today,_ Kai thought.

"Where do you think your going?" Sir Cole asked.

"Wherever I wanna go, and your not gonna stop me from doing so," Kai said, making another sword go right at his chin.

"I have to agree with Sir Cole," Jay said, "You treat the ladies with no sign of respect."

"What's the big deal? I don't have to treat girls with respect. They're weak. They will always be weak. They will continue to be that way. At least, I hope they do." Kai backed away from the sword. "Besides, I don't ever give people respect because I've never learned it. It's not a big deal. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head out." Before Kai could head out the door, another sword came up to his chin. He looked to see Sir Zane standing in front of the doorway. "Get out of my way."

"I would recommend not doing it if I were you," Zane said.

"Get out of my way or I'll make you."

"Kai, please, there only trying to help," Nya said, "You have a problem with all this."

"A problem?" Kai said, "I don't have a problem. Gambling is not a problem. Gambling is my life." Suddenly, Cole and Jay came up and pin Kai`s arms to his back, making him stand still. They both ended up dropping their swords on the floor, but it was best to ignore the possessions for the moment. They were handling the gambler as he tried to scramble his at out of their grasp. "Hey, let me go. Get your hands off of me."

"Sorry, buddy," Cole said, "You're not going anywhere."

"I don't get this, madam," Jay said to Nya, "You have to deal with him like this everyday?"

"Everyday," Nya said, "It's always the same thing. Wake up at ten in the morning and ten leaves at noon. Comes back with full bags of gold at three in the afternoon. Stays until dinnertime and then leaves afterwards and doesn't come back until almost midnight. I can't take this anymore." The tears started spilling out of Nya`s eyes as she began to sob.

"That's it, Nya," Kai said, "Cry all you want, but you'll never get your way."

"Do not worry, my dear lady," Zane said, walking up and placing a hand on her shoulder, "We will take care of this."

"W-What are you gonna do?" Nya asked, "Please don't take him to the king. He's the only family I have. I can't bear to see that he will be executed for this."

"That is not what we plan to do."

"Then what will you do?"

"We know someone that might be able to help him. People that are like your brother have gone to this man plenty of times. He will be able to straighten him out. We promise to bring him back to you with a good heart."

"What if he won't be able to help Kai? What if my brother never changes?"

"There has never been a person who was ever difficult with this man. He is like nobody that you've ever seen before."

"I hope so. When will you take him?"

"Tomorrow. We will stay there for two days with him. After that, we must be on our way. It is only a couple of hours away from here. He will decide if he wants to come with us or stay with the man. If he stays with the man, he might come home, but if he does not, he has become a servant with a good heart. Either way, he will be a change man."

"I will accept whatever Kai wants to do. May the Great Sensei thank you for all this."

"Of course. We will guard him for the rest of the night. He will not leave our sight. If we are to tie him to his bed, so be it."

"Do whatever you can. I'll leave you men to it. I hope you all enjoyed dinner because I just lost my appetite. I'm going to clean up a bit and then go straight to bed. Good night, gentlemen."

After finishing up the little bit she had to do, Nya went to bed. She could barely hear the noise of Kai trying to escape his room and finally heard the sound of his hands being tied to the bed. A little bit later after midnight, Kai finally calmed down and was sleeping peacefully in his room. She heard footsteps in the room, but it was only the knights. _They must be taking shifts,_ Nya thought, _It's better to get a little sleep than no sleep at all._ Nya was hoping that what the knights said were true. If it was, things would be a lot better. It it wasn't, everything would be just like everyday. Instead of a gambling brother, she wanted a sibling with a good heart and with some understanding. She was hoping for that in the future. Let the future be better than the past.

* * *

 **THINGS ARE GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE. KAI WAS JUST ABOUT TO SET UP A GAMBLING MATCH WITH THE KNIGHTS, BUT THEN HE REALIZED THAT HE WOULD BE MADE INTO HIS OWN GAME PIECE IF HE DID THAT. AT LEAST NYA CAME TO HELP HIM OUT. WHEN IS HE EVER GOING TO REALIZE THAT GIRLS HAVE AS MUCH RIGHTS AS GUYS DO? HE PROBABLY WILL SOON.**

 **THE KNIGHTS HAVE DECIDED THEY WILL HELP KAI WITH HIS GAMBLING PROBLEM BY TAKING HIM TO SOME GUY THAT IS SURE TO HAVE HELPED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIEVING PROBLEMS. TO MAKE SURE HE DIDN'T ESCAPE, THEY GUARDED HIM ALL NIGHT, TYING HIM TO THE BED, AND MADE SURE THAT HE'D CALM DOWN. HE FINALLY DID. HE BETTER STAY THAT WAY.**

 **IS THIS STORY GREAT SO FAR?**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	5. Kais Dark Day

CHAPTER 4

KAI`S DARK DAY

When the sun finally showed its face, the knights were mounting on their horses to get ready for the day of traveling. Nya woke up early to purchase a horse for Kai. After spending half the night fighting off the knights to get him out of the house, he finally decided to go along with them and get some help. He knew it would be the worst idea he will ever have, but it would be worth a try. Nya was hoping that it would work. If it didn't, she would simply lock the doors and never let Kai back in. She even told Kai that she would do so, but as usual, Kai made a comment saying that he would find whatever tool he could use to break down the door. Sighing in defeat, Nya knew that her brother won. When did he never win? It was always a competition between the two siblings. They were always fighting, but in the end, Kai would say something and it turned out to be the winning sentence. Hopefully, when Kai returned, his actions would be gone and the bad memories would be in the past.

Sir Cole breathed in the morning air as he finished saddling up on his horse. "What a wonderful day to be out in the open. A little bit of traveling and a lot of relaxing will do for us."

"Why should we relax more than travel, my good friend?" Sir Jay asked, "If you haven't noticed, we have been assigned a quest by the king and we must concentrate on that at the moment. What are the reasons that we are helping this little peasant? Didn't you see all that the man was trying to do last night? He's a psychopath. A crazy person. Crazier than me."

"Sir Jay, remain calm. There is nothing to fear. We are knights. We can handle anything and anyone, including that man. Yes, I saw everything that happened last night because I was there. We were able to reason with him, and I plan to keep that under control. If you have a problem with that, then you can turn around and head back to the kingdom. I won't say a word about it. Other than that, we are helping this man because it's our job. It's what we do."

"You saw something last night that I wasn't able to see. Tell me what it was."

"I'd be happy to. I couldn't stand to see that gambler fighting with his sister all the time, so it's best if we help stop it once and for all. I suppose their both happy that we came. Anyway, we should start heading out." Cole turned his head towards Kai. "Gambler, are you ready to leave?"

"Give me a moment," Kai said, placing the last satchel on his horse and turning towards his sister, "You got me a fine horse here, Nya. I don't think I'm making the right decision by going on this journey."

"You are, brother," Nya said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I know it from the bottom of my heart. This is the right decision. I know your not the kind of person to keep promises, but I need you to keep this one for me. Promise me that you will come home a changed man? A man with a good heart and soul. Could you do that for me?"

Kai didn't say anything at first. He was thinking about the life that he's had living in the past. He's spent half of it playing dice and stealing money, sometimes ending up being chased by the other opponent after the game. Now he was starting to think of the future. Would he come home a changed man? Could whoever this person the three knights were taking him to actually help him? Will his gambling days finally come to an end? At that moment, he wasn't really sure. There's was just nothing to say, but he ended up spitting something out. "Alright, I'll try. It might work. It might not. We'll just have to wait and see."

"It's a good answer. It's better than saying nothing at all." Nya wrapped her brother in a bear hug, not letting him go for at least a moment. She pulled apart from him and looked into his brown colored eyes. "Take care of yourself. I love you, brother."

"I love you, too, sister."

With that being said, Kai climbed up on his new horse and followed the knights out of the village. Being surrounded by the beauty of nature just made Kai feel jittery at the moment. He's never been outside the village before. Nya would never let him. She was afraid that he would gamble with somebody and something could happen to him, making sure that he would never make it home. At that moment, all Kai wanted to do was go home. He just wanted to stay in the shop and sweep the floors. It was too late to turn back, though. He couldn't just tell the men that he changed his mind and leave them. Not only would he fail, but he would be breaking his sister's heart. Not wanting to do that, he decided to keep moving forward.

The silence was starting to irritate Kai, so he decided to start up a conversation. "Who is this guy that your taking me to, anyway?"

"They call him Borg," Sir Cole said, "Nobody ever says his first name because he doesn't like it. He was always able to straighten out any possible bad guy that was brought to him. Usually it's not all bad guys. He can help cheaters, liars, gamblers, you name it. He'll help anybody with a problem."

"What makes you think that he'll be able to help me?"

"Trust me when I say this," Sir Jay said, "When you first lay eyes on him, you'll want his help."

"I knew this was a mistake." Kai stopped his horse, making the other three stop as well. "I can't do this. The pressure is bearing down on me. I gamble because it's the only way to keep my sister and me in our home. You think a little blacksmith shop is gonna pay for anything? There's no way I can do this. I'm turning around and going home." Before Kai could do so, Sir Zane and his horse stood in front of the gambler, who was starting to go red in the face. "Are you some kind of blocker? You seem to always get in the way."

"What are you doing?" Sir Zane asked, "You are giving up already? It is complete madness. You promised your sister that you would get help. What kind of brother would break a promise? Do you not trust any of us? I fear you are losing our trust."

"What does it matter to you? Get out of my way." Kai tried nudging Zane`s horse, but neither of them would budge. "I said move."

"No, I will not. I will stay right here until you start continuing to follow Sir Cole and Sir Jay so we can get you the help that you desperately need. You need it, so move forward."

"You better do what he says," Cole said

"We're trying to help you," Jay said, "Can't you accept that?"

Kai looked down, staring at his horse's mane. "If I go with you guys now, then Nya and I will have nothing."

"Probably not, but if it does come to that point, we will help you," Zane said.

At that moment, Kai wasn't sure what to do. He had two choices on his mind. Either he could travel with them or he could go home. If he went home, his gambling raid would continue and life would just get worse. It didn't matter to him as long as there was a roof over his sister's head and food on the table. If he continued traveling, he would be a changed man. His days of gambling would be over and left in the past, but in a few weeks, he and his sister may not have a home anymore. There were two choices but only one decision to make. He turned his horse away from Zane and continued traveling forward. "Let's just continue." Just like that, a decision was made.

A couple of hours later, somewhere around noon, the three knights and the gambler finally found a cottage sitting in the midst of the forest, surrounded by trees and bushes. The cottage looked a lot more like a log cabin, except the roof was made out of tree bark and the door was made out of stones and rocks. The windowsill was white and the flower pots sitting on them were orange, but they contained no flowers. No grass was shown surrounding the house. A bunch of leaves and pebbles were placed on the grass so it could not be seen. A horse stable that was made of wood and tree logs sat next to the cottage. Kai remained on his horse as the men placed their horses in the stables. Seeing that he had no choice, Kai put his horse away and walked up to the door of the cottage. Sir Cole knocked on the door and it opened, revealing nobody inside. The four men walked inside the cottage, looking around for the man known as Borg. After ten minutes, Kai flopped down on the soft, bear skin couch, sighing in defeat.

"Great," Kai said, "The one time that I thought I could get help and this Borg guy isn't even here."

"Remain calm, gambler," Sir Jay said, "Borg`s done this plenty of times. It's not the first time we've ever had to search for him."

"This is just a waste of time."

"A waste of time? Why would you think that?" A voice came from upstairs as a man with black hair and spectacles walked down. Well, he technically wasn't walking on his legs. He was using a pair of wooden crutches to help him get down the stairs. It took him a minute to finally make it in his living room and get a good look at Kai. "It seems the three knights have brought you here, young man. You don't seem like a bad guy or anything. What seems to be the problem, young man?"

"He has a gambling problem, Borg," Cole said.

"A gambling problem?" Borg said in surprise, "Oh, that's serious. Lucky for you, young man, I've treated cases like this plenty of times. How bad is it?"

"Why should you wanna know?" Kai asked.

"Oh, it's worse than I thought. I think I might be able to help you, but we'll need a quiet room to work in."

"You think you can? These guys told me that you can."

"I can, but it will take some time. A few hours, to be exact. There is a lot that I need to teach you. Come with me. I know the perfect place." He turned his attention towards the knights. "Make yourselves at home, please, gentlemen. I know you'll be staying and I promise to help get you settled in after I'm finished. I'll try to be quick."

"Take your time," Cole said, "We'll be fine."

With that being said, Borg led Kai inside a room with nothing more than a bed, a lamp and a window with the curtain shut. Two chairs sat in the far corner of the room. Not wanting Borg to get the chairs by himself, Kai brought them over in the center of the room and placed them both on opposite sides. He helped Borg sit down and placed his crutches down right next to him. Kai sat down in the chair opposite from Borg.

"I thank you for your kindness," Borg said, "I live alone so it's hard to do certain things. With a pair of lame legs, who would wanna be with someone like me? It's hard being crippled, but I get used to it."

"It's hard being poor, but I do what I can to stay rich," Kai said.

"You see, that's why your here to see me. You're so concerned about money and what it can buy you. Do you know what it's called when a man cares more about money than himself?" Borg was expecting an answer, but Kai had nothing on his mind. "It's called greed, and that's not a good thing."

"That's what I do. I do things that are the opposite of good."

"Your so used to going against the rules that you don't even know what rules are anymore. You don't even know the meaning of the word rules. Either way, gambling is actually against the law. If you do it in front of a noble, you'll be arrested and sent to the dungeon. Those three knights out there are only doing what's best for you. They're only trying to help."

"What are they trying to help me with? They don't know anything about gambling because they've never done it before."

"Exactly. They can't do it because they work for the king. They have to obey the rules. It's their job to enforce the laws, not break them. Their just doing you a favor. It's kind of like saying something like this. If I can't do it, then you can't do it, either. What their really trying to say is that it's against the law and you shouldn't do it. Are you getting it now?"

"I understand, but why does gambling have to be a law? Doesn't the king see that not enough people have enough money to live?"

"Perhaps I should tell you some fables and tales about gambling. It usually has a moral lesson that people must teach themselves about. I know what your thinking. This isn't a time to be telling stories, but I'm going to do it anyway."

"This ought to be good."

"This little story might warm your heart a little bit, but it will teach you what happens when a noble becomes greedy and starts to gamble." Borg clears his throat and looks at Kai with a sympathetic look. "A long time ago, there was once a noble who cared about nothing but money. During that time, there was a king that cared more about the poor than he did the rich. This noble wanted to become richer than the king, so he decided to gamble with the poor. The noble decided to dress as a peasant and made his way towards the house of a poor man and his family. The noble asked the man if he had any money, and he said yes, but only a little and he needed it to support his family. Then the noble asked if he could have just two pieces of gold, but the man said that he only had silver coins. The noble became angry and broke into the poor man's home, taking everything he had. He even took the man's wife and children. Devastated, the poor man searched for three days to find the noble who was dressed as a peasant. On the fourth day, he had almost given up hope, but the wonderful king came out and asked him what the matter was that he was weeping in the streets. The poor man explained that his wife and children were kidnapped from him by a peasant that looked to be rich. The king said that he would do everything in his power to find the kidnapper and return his family to him. On that same day, the noble was found with the man's family and was arrested. He was charged with kidnapping, but it was gambling that led him to the point of doing so. As for the poor man, he gave the king only one piece of silver, but he told the man to keep it and use it to support his family, but he decided to thank the man for offering by giving him a bag full of gold. In the end, the poor man was given gratitude while the rich man was given hate. Did you learn something from that?"

"The king cared about the poor rather than he did the rich. I want to be rich, but what if the king doesn't care about me? I'm poor, but I gamble my way into money. Would the king still care about me if I'm poor, even though I gamble?"

"The king doesn't like anyone that breaks the laws. If a nobleman broke the law, he would be hanged. If a poor man broke the law, he would be placed in the dungeon for years to come. Who do you think would still have the special treatment? The poor man would. He's only spending time in the dungeon. Even though he did something wrong, the king wouldn't punish him severely by executing him. He was only a man from the outside world. He's not familiar with all the laws. His parents couldn't afford to send him to school. The only way to keep him from disobeying the laws is by teaching him how to do something. It will keep him away from all the thievery in life. A noble has everything, though. Nice clothing, a proper education and the perfect life. They are the one's that are familiar with all the laws because they went to school and learned about them. So, if they broke any of them, they would be hanged because it was the wrong thing to do. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"I get it. If I were a noble and I was caught gambling, I would get hanged, but I don't wanna be executed. If a poor man gambled, how long would he be in the dungeon?"

"About six months. You know, this reminds me of a story I once heard and I'd like to share it with you." Borg straighten himself in his chair as he fixed his spectacles. "There. Now, years ago, there was a man about eighteen years old who lived in a farming village. He and his sister were... let me think... right, they were bakers. They owned the only bakery in the village, but the man's sister was the owner. She took care of everything while her brother went out to gamble everyday. He left in the morning and came back late in the afternoon. She was always getting angry at him for gambling everyday rather than help her in the bakery, but he told her that she had no rights to tell her what to do and that he was a man and he'll do what he pleased. He stormed out of the bakery and went to a cabin that led out of the village. He saw a man inside that was wearing a red cloak and asked the gambler if he would like to play... now what did they play... oh, yes, they played cards. The gambler said yes and began playing. Unfortunately, for the gambler, the man under the cloak won and took all the money he had. The gambler was furious and asked his opponent who he was. Underneath that hood was a noble and inside the cabin were guards that surrounded the gambler. The noble arrested him and placed the man in the dungeon. When his sister heard about it, she was deeply upset. When the brother returned to his sister, he looked to see that the bakery was closed and their home was taken from them. On that same day, the young man went to the king and asked for his help. The king said he could do nothing for him. What could he do for someone that spent six months in a dungeon because he decided to spend his life gambling? The king sent him on his way and the man returned to his village. After a few months, the man's sister became very ill, and when she could stand it no longer, she passed. Because there was no longer a bakery, people started moving out of the village. The man remained where he was and always had the thought that gambling ruined his life forever. Never moving an inch, he passed away, sitting in the same spot in the abandoned village. Now, what kind of story was I really telling you? Who were those people? What did they do and how did it end up?"

At the moment, tears were pouring from Kai`s eyes as he was trying to figure out his thoughts. "The bakery is actually a blacksmith shop. Those two people are my sister and I. If I don't change my ways, I'm gonna end up ruining both our lives. If I go to prison, I'll be a man with nothing. I'll be empty handed. The shop we'll be gone, I'll lose my sister, the village will be empty and I'll just be alone for the rest of my days. If only there was a way I can change that."

"There is a way you can. Think about what's really important instead of doing something that will end up as a disaster. What's important to you?"

"My sister. She's more important to me now than anyone else. I haven't been a good brother to her. I yelled at her all the time and I always told her what to do. She was only telling me what to do because that's all she could do to keep me out of trouble. I almost got caught yesterday, but today I'm making a fresh start. Everyone's right. Their only trying to do what's best for me. They only wanna help me, but all these years, I refused any kind of help. Now I realized that I've mostly been an idiot all this time. I've made so many mistakes in my life growing up, but gambling is the worst of them all." Kai began to cry softly, trying not to be heard by the knights.

"We all make mistakes. We just have to learn from them."

"All the things I said to my father. My own father. Just before he passed away. All the outburst I caused. All the trouble I've made. All the things I said. If only he were still here, I would make it up to him, but I can't. He's gone. There's nothing I can say now. I can't even tell him that I'm sorry for all the things I've done. There's just nothing else I can do." His crying began to turn into an all out sobbing attack as he lowered to the ground and placed his head on the seat of his chair. "All the things I said to Nya. All the times I told her she doesn't have any rights. All the times I've made her do all the hard work while I went out everyday. All the times I've worried her so. All I want is to ask her to forgive me, but will she do so? I've made so many mistakes. There's nothing more I can do."

"I'll give you some time to think about it. Stay up here for as long as you like. Come downstairs when your ready. I'll be there if you need me."

Borg left the room, giving Kai some time to sob in peace. He didn't care how loud he was. Kai just wanted to be alone and to think. He's made so many mistakes in his life, he's not sure if people will forgive him at all. All his thoughts came to was that there was nothing more he could do. Nothing more he could say. He's made so many wrong paths in his life that he doesn't deserve to speak. At that moment, Kai ended his reign of gambling. He decided to no longer make money in his own way. In fact, he decided that he would spend most of his time in the shop to make sure it was still there everyday. He didn't want to come back to see that it was closed and Nya was sitting in the streets. The more Kai sobbed, the better he became. A few hours passed when Kai decided that he's cried enough for one day. He crawled into the bed that was sitting inside the room. Borg came up to tell him that dinner was ready, but Kai said that he wasn't hungry and he was just about to fall asleep. That part was true. Kai decided that it was time to start being honest. In fact, it was time to start doing a lot of things. It would make up for all the mistakes that were made in life.

* * *

 **THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST EMOTIONAL CHAPTERS I'VE EVER WROTE IN ANY OF MY STORIES. IN THIS TALE, BORG IS KNOWN AS A THERAPIST TO CRIMINALS. IF YOU DO ONE WRONG THING, ITS OFF TO SEE SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THIS KIND OF STUFF.**

 **ALL THE TEARS THAT CAME OUT FROM KAI`S EYES. ALL THE MISTAKES THAT HE'S MADE IN LIFE. THINGS THAT HE SAID. STUFF THAT HE DIDN'T MEAN TO DO. FROM THIS POINT ON, KAI WILL NEVER GAMBLE AGAIN.**

 **SORRY IF I'M NOT POSTING THIS STORY EVERYDAY. I'M WORKING ON ANOTHER ONE. PLUS, I WANNA MAKE THIS SOUND INTERESTING.**

 **I HOPE YOU GUYS LOVE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	6. Kai, A Changed Man

CHAPTER 5

KAI, A CHANGED MAN

Kai spent all night inside the nearly empty room, thinking it would be a long one. It pretty much was. He slept the first couple of hours before he had a nightmare. He caught himself gambling again and saw that it was a noble who was his opponent. He was arrested and sent to the dungeon. When he returned after six months, not a single person was in the village. He looked to see a pile of bones that belonged to his sister and gasped. He suddenly woke up. He knew there was no way he would be getting anymore sleep for the rest of the night. When he tried, he ended up tossing and turning. He paced around the room for at least an hour. At about one in the morning, he began sobbing loudly again. He was lucky nobody came in the room to check on him. He was not in the mood to see one person walk inside. After a couple of hours, he calmed down and crawled back into bed. It took a few minutes for him to finally fall back asleep. The sun peek through the curtains, letting the light reveal on Kai. He didn't wake up, though. He was still snoring peacefully, but sweat started forming up on his head. His eyes opened when he started feeling heat rise on him and felt his forehead. He was burning up. After a long night, his day would be filled with stress and sickness. Suddenly, the heat died down and he was no longer sweating. He cooled himself off by opening the curtain, feeling the cool morning breeze blow on him. That's when he knew the day would be filled with many wonders.

Kai left the room and walked downstairs to the kitchen. He saw Borg trying to make breakfast, but was having trouble doing so. Instead of just sitting at the table, he decided to help the crippled man with the cooking that was being made.

"Here, let me help you with that," Kai said, taking the pot from Borg`s hand, "Someone in your condition shouldn't be doing all of this."

"Why, thank you, young man," Borg said, "Of all the people that have come to stay with me, nobody has ever offered to help. Tell me, did you sleep well last night?"

"Not really. I did just fine until I had a nightmare come into my head. It was about me gambling again and at the end, I regretted it. I ended up tossing and turning and pacing around the room. I even started crying for a couple of hours. After that, I just fell asleep and woke up to feel the gentle air of the wind blow on me."

"See? Your changing from a gambler to a good man. It may be uncomfortable, but it will get better. Tell me, how do you feel right now?"

"I feel... different. I feel as though I was cured from a sickness that I've had for a long time." Kai placed the pot on the fireplace stove. "I'm glad it's gone. I no longer wanna be the man I was before."

"I'm glad to hear it. I suppose your happy that you came for help."

"If it wasn't for those knights, I don't know where I would be. Speaking of the knights, where are they?"

"Oh, they went outside to practice their sword fighting. I told them that it wouldn't be a good idea to exercise on an empty stomach, but they insisted."

"I better go out and check on them. I really wanna thank them all for everything they've done."

Just like that, Kai went outside to look at the knights working on their sword fighting skills. All Kai could hear was metal against metal, but the knights could hear the sweet sounds of battle ringing through their ears. Looking at their swords, Kai saw that they needed a little work on them. He would help with that after they were finished. Sir Jay looked to see Kai and lost his balance when Sir Cole knocked him down. He got back up and put his sword away.

"Looks like the gambler has awaken," Jay said.

"You stop our practice just so you could stare at him?" Cole asked.

Kai laughed. "Relax. I'm not the man that you saw yesterday. That man is gone. I'm different now. My illness has been cured."

"What is that in your pocket?" Sir Zane asked.

Kai reached into his pocket and saw his pair of dice. "Why are these still in my possession?" He swung his arm and threw the dice across the forest. "Find yourselves a new owner. This man will never play for money again."

"He's cured, all right," Cole said, "No gambler would ever throw their pair of dice across the woods."

"Looks like you won't be ending up in the dungeon," Jay said.

"I really don't wanna think about that." Kai shuddered at the thought. "Listen, I have a few things that need to be accomplished, and this is one of them. I would like to thank you for bringing me here. If it wasn't for all of you, I wouldn't have a life anymore."

"No reason to thank us," Cole said, "We were just doing what we had to do."

"Well, I'm thanking you now, so it's too late to say that. Anyway, I'm planning to do a few things. When you get the chance, hand me your swords so I can sharpen them up. They look like they need a little fixing. Plus, I was hoping we could stay for another night. Borg seems to need some help, so I figured that I could stay and help him a bit. Also, I need to write a message to my sister stating that I'll be traveling with you all, if you don't mind."

"Listen, there's something we need to tell you about Borg." Cole walked up to Kai. "He doesn't expect anything in return. Sure, he may look like that he does, but he won't accept it. Yes, he's a crippled, but he's still a strong and trustworthy man. He's always been able to take care of himself, so the answer to that will be no. Oh, if you wanna sharpen our swords and write that message, you better do it now. There's been a change of plans. We have to leave this afternoon. The king wants us back with the prince in three weeks."

"What may be the reason?"

Cole sighed. "For one thing, they scheduled my wedding to be in four weeks. Another thing is Prince Lloyd's birthday will be coming up at that time period. We have to keep moving immediately."

"Let me come with you. I promise not to be a burden and I won't get in your way."

"Well, you said earlier that your coming with us, so go ahead, but you need a weapon. We know the perfect place where you can get one at."

"I better do all that I can right now."

Taking the men's swords, he found a stump and a hammer and began his work. He slammed the hammer on each sword carefully until they were straight and sharp once more. After he was finished, he laid them on the table inside the kitchen so the knights would see they were there. Kai went upstairs and walked back inside the room where he spent the night at. He looked around in the drawer for an ink pen and paper. He found it, but the pen was different. There was already ink inside of it. He was thinking that this Borg man is not an ordinary person. He creates different things that might change the lives of civilians. It was no matter to Kai at the moment. He needed to concentrate on writing that message for his sister.

 _Nya,_

 _I have good news to deliver. My days of being a gambler are over. Once I return home, you will see a changed man with a good heart. Although, I won't be home for the next couple of weeks. I've decided to travel with the knights and go with them on their quest. This will repay them for helping me when I needed it the most. This man name Borg was able to put some sense into my head, so don't expect me to come home with bags of gold because I won't allow that to enter my life again. The words that I'm writing is from a change of heart. I would like to apologize for all that has happened in life. I'm sorry about the way I acted. I'm sorry for all the fights that I caused. Most of all, I'm sorry for saying that you have no rights, because you do. I've been selfish and greedy about everything. Father did the right thing to give you the shop. I have been too irresponsible to take care of it. I'd rather just work for it than own it. Enough about all that, though. Whenever I come back home, remember all I said in this letter. Or message, to be exact. Everything that I say is true, and I say it with compassion. I have to say that your the best sister any older brother could have. Stay safe. Keep the shop opened. I love you, Nya._

 _Kai_

Putting the ink pen away, Kai took the message and rolled it up. He placed it in his satchel and went outside to see the knights saddling up their horses and climbing up on them. Kai decided to start preparing himself as well. He placed his packs on his horse and climbed up onto the galloping animal. Before any of them started to walk away from the stable, Borg came outside and stopped them.

"Wait, don't leave just yet," Borg said, "There's something I must give to Kai." He handed Kai a blade with a drawing of fire on it. "If your wondering what that is, it's a blade with the fire symbol. It's the symbol of the Southern border. You may need it on this quest. I hope this mission does you well. Good luck, Kai."

"Thank you, Borg." Kai put the blade in his case. "Shall we get a move on?"

"Let's go," Cole said, walking away on his horse with the others following him. When Kai did the same, it was time to let the journey begin.

* * *

The king sat in the throne room, thinking about the two days that have passed. The knights were already in the Sothern border, but they've been down there too long. The prince needed to be found. There was no time to dilly dally around. The doors to the throne room opened, revealing the king`s brother, the duke of Nin. Wu has been calm ever since the prince was kidnapped. The long white beard and kimono wearing man was always calm and patient, no matter how serious the matter was. Garmadon invited his brother to the castle to talk about the matter.

"Brother," Wu said, "I have come in honor of you."

"Thank you for coming," Garmadon said, "Have a seat, Wu."

Wu sat down in the queen`s throne. "Where is your wife?"

"She is with Miss Carol Dominez. They are going over Carol`s wedding plans. I've been doing all I can to get Lloyd off her mind. What more can I do?"

"I heard that Sir Zane`s second anniversary is coming up. Misako may be able to help Lady Zeah with those plans."

"Good idea. I invited you here to talk about the matter with my son. I need help and you are the only person I can ask. You are a wise man and usually know where all the rebellion`s hiding places are. Where do you think they are? What border are they located in? You must know, brother."

"I do not know where they are hiding at for this particular moment in time, but I do know that most times they would hide out in the Northern border. I'm not very sure where, but I know it's in that area. Tell me something, brother. How do you know it's the rebellion?"

"They left a message stating that it was them. They snuck inside the castle in the middle of the night and kidnapped Lloyd. The message clearly states that it was the rebellion."

"Do you still have the message?"

"Of course, I do. I'm not letting it out of my sight."

"Let me see it, brother." Garmadon handed the Duke the message and took a long, hard look at it. From the way Wu was straining his eyes, you would think that he needed a pair of spectacles to see with. After a few minutes of straining his eyes and nodding his head, Wu gave his brother the message and sighed. "Brother, I have news to give you. It's not the rebellion."

"What? How do you know?"

Wu sighed. "Remember when my daughter was kidnapped when she was three months old?"

"I remember those days. Your wife wouldn't leave the room and you did everything you could to find her."

"A message was written to us and it was true that the rebellion took my daughter. They found her two weeks later. I still have the message to this day, but now I can memorize it and see in my head of what it looks like. It was truly the rebellion`s handwriting because they don't write very well and their practice on cursive writing was terrible."

"Where did they find your daughter at? I can't remember that part of the story."

"That's the ending of the story. They left my daughter by a lake and ran off. Enough about that, though. Let us talk about this message. The handwriting is very legible and easy to read. Plus, their cursive writing is well practiced. I think we are dealing with a used to be noble. Tell me, brother, has anyone lost all their money in the past few years?"

"Well, there were actually two men that I know of. One was named Richard Egon and the other was Ti Jo Kiso. Richard would never hold a grudge against me. He told me it was his fault that all his money was taken by some gambler. He lives in the Eastern border, though. Besides, he still sends me messages about how he's doing every now and then. He even sent me one this morning."

"Could I see that message?" Garmadon gave it to him and let him check it over, along with the other message. Wu gave his brother back the messages. "It wasn't him. His cursive writing is very small and not very easy to read. Although, he does have very wonderful handwriting. What about this Ti Jo Kiso you were talking about?"

"I don't know very much, but I do know he left. He left his entire family here to support themselves. Luckily, I was able to find them a new home. I'm not very sure why Ti Jo left. Some say he left because of some law I made, but I'm just not sure. I did hear that he was in the Northern border."

"The same border that the rebellion are located in. Where are your knights?"

"I suppose they are still in the Southern border."

"Send them a message stating that they need to start heading to the Northern border immediately. Your son may be up there."

"Oh, Great Sensei, please give me a sign stating that my brother, the Duke, is right about this."

"There will be no sign, brother. Just believe all that I tell you."

Garmadon sighed. "Ri Tai!"

The man known as Ri Tai ran up to Garmadon, bowing in respect. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Search the Southern border for my knights. Tell them they need to start heading north."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Right away." He ran off without another word.

Garmadon stood and walked down the aisle of the throne room. "Tell me this, brother. Is my son really in the place of where you speak of?"

"Yes, and if I'm wrong, as much as I believe in the Great Sensei, I will go out and find your son myself," Wu explained, "I will not rest until he is found."

"Thank you, Wu. You may go now. I need some time to myself."

"Take all the time you need, and use it wisely. Farewell, brother. I hope to see you again soon."

Wu left out the doors of the throne room, leaving his brother to stand next to the window. Could his son be in the Northern border? That cold land was no place for a young prince to go to. He was hoping that Lloyd was not being tortured. It would turn out to be a great disaster.

* * *

The knights and Kai entered through another village a couple of hours before sunset. Jamanicai Village was the largest place in the Southern border. Like the blacksmith shop in Ignacia, Jamanicai Village had the same techniques and tools. The difference was Ignacia only had the same amount of customers per day while Jamanicai Village had more people come in day after day. That's something Kai started worrying about when they left Borg`s cottage. Would Nya be able to handle the shop on her own? _Of course she would,_ Kai thought, _Nya`s a strong girl. She can handle it. Besides, I'll only be gone a couple of weeks. The first thing I need to do is find a messenger to send this to her._ Kai looked down at the written parchment in his hand. All the promises he made in that message. There's no way he can break them. If he wants to prove to his sister that he's changed, he needs to take this journey and return in one piece. It won't be easy, but he has to try.

"Looks like we're here," Sir Cole said, climbing off his horse, "I'll go to see if he's inside before we do anything else. Keep an eye on the no longer gambler, boys. It'll take a few minutes."

"I hope you don't mind, Sir Cole, but I need to find a messenger to send this to my sister," Kai explained, "I must do so before it's too late."

"Go ahead. Just come back when your finished."

Kai and his horse turned around to find someone who looked to be a messenger. When he saw a man with a large satchel, he ran towards him and blocked his way.

"Hey, what do you think your doing?" the man asked, "Get this thing out of my way."

"I'm sorry, sir, but may I ask if you are a messenger or not?" Kai asked.

"I am. Why do you ask?"

"How far do you travel?"

"I travel all around the Southern border. What do you need from me?"

"I need you to take this message to my sister in Ignacia Village. Her name is Nya Smith and she works in the blacksmith shop. Will you take this to her?"

"I don't usually travel through Ignacia much, but I'll do it. Now do you mind getting this thing out of my way? I'm trying to work."

"My apologies, sir. Happy travels."

Kai galloped on his horse back to the blacksmith shop and saw Cole walk out with a middle aged man, who held a sword in his hand. Kai looked at it with a smile on his face.

"Looks like the no longer gambler has returned," Sir Cole said, "Hop down from your horse and take a look at this sword. See if you like it."

Kai walked up to the blacksmith owner as he handed him the sword. Kai looked at it carefully as he examined the textures, the sharpness, the symbols of the South and the polishing placed onto it. "It's a magnificently made sword. I'll take it. How much?"

"Nothing," the blacksmith owner said, "It's all yours."

"Sir, you deserve some kind of payment. Tell me how much it is."

"Young man, let me tell you something about that sword. It's gonna give you something in return, so you might as well take it while you still can."

"What do you mean it'll give me something in return?"

"He says that to all his customers," Sir Cole said, "Nothing important about it. Come, Kai, let us continue on with this journey."

"I don't get it," Kai said, "First I was given a blade and now I'm being given a sword. Why is everyone giving me something? I should be returning something to all of you. I've taken away too much."

"Great things may happen in the future, Kai," Sir Zane said, "The best thing you can do is be patient."

A great commotion started stirring up in the village. People ran out of the way as a noble on a horse started galloping his way towards the knights. Dust and debris collected in the air as the steed came to a stop. The young noble climb off his horse. "Knights of Nin, I have a message for you from the king. He wants you to start traveling north. That is all." The man Ri Tai climbed back up on his horse and ran off, speeding through the village.

"The king must have talk to his brother," Sir Jay said, "I think he has a lead on where the prince may be."

"There's no time to waste," Sir Cole said, "We shall travel through the night. Let's head out."

Climbing back up on their horses, the knights and Kai ran out of the village and started on a long travel that would last through the entire night and throughout the next day. Little did they know that evil would soon interrupt them on their quest. If only they knew that.

* * *

 **KAI IS CERTAINLY A CHANGED MAN AND WILL NO LONGER CONTINUE HIS CRIMINAL WAYS. ONCE HIS SISTER GETS THAT MESSAGE, SHE WILL BE HAPPY TO HEAR THAT KAI IS A CHANGED MAN AT HEART, BUT SAD TO SEE THAT HE WON'T RETURN FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AS HE'S DECIDED TO HEAD OUT ON SUCH A LONG JOURNEY WITH THE THREE KNIGHTS.**

 **WHY IS EVERYONE GIVING KAI THINGS WHEN HE SOULD BE GIVING SOMETHING BACK IN RETURN? AFTER ALL, HE DID GAMBLE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE OUT OF THERE MONEY. SOMETHING FISHY IS GOING ON HERE.**

 **OKAY, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT READ MY STORY NINJAGO TALES: PIRATES IN NINJAGO, I HATE TO SAY THIS, BUT I WILL NO LONGER CONTINUE THE SERIES. OR THE STORY, TO BE EXACT. FOR ONE THING, I'M NOT SURE HOW I SHOULD WRITE IT. I KEEP GETTING OUT OF PLACE. THE SECIND THIS IS I'M JUST NOT INTERESTED IN WRITING IT ANYMORE. I'VE LOST INTEREST IN IT. THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT READ IT, THOUGH. IT'LL BE THERE UNTIL FRIDAY. ILL BE DELETING IT AFTER THAT.**

 **THE THING IS, I CAN ONLY WRITE ONE STORY AT A TIME, SO I'M CONTINUING WITH THIS ONE. I'M TAKING MY TIME WITH IT, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT. THANK YOU.**

 **LOVE THIS STORY SO FAR?**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	7. With the Ladies

CHAPTER 6

WITH THE LADIES

Back at the blacksmith shop in Ignacia, Nya had just finished with the last customer before closing up for the day. Grabbing the broom, she began to sweep the dust off the floor. She remembered Kai doing it all the time when he was mad or when he didn't feel like going out to gamble. Nya worried about her brother. It's been almost two days since he left with the knights and she was hoping he would be back soon. She wanted him to come home with a good heart and a better attitude. Whoever this man was that was straightening Kai out, Nya hoped he did it well. _Kai is the only family I have in my life,_ Nya thought, _If he's not any different when he gets home, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll have to close up the shop and live in the forest for the rest of my life._ Nya stopped sweeping and stood in the same spot, frozen like a statue. After a moment, she slammed the broom on the floor and ran into the back room, tears leaving her eyes as she sobbed. Something was wrong. She was having a problem, and she didn't know what it was. Could it be that she had thoughts to gamble herself? She decided to leave that thought out of her head. There's no way she could be thinking that.

A knock on the door brought Nya`s attention back to reality. She left the room and walked back into the shop, opening the door for the person that was at it. It was a man carrying a large satchel over his shoulder. He must be a messenger.

"Can I help you, sir?" Nya asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for Nya Smith," the messenger said.

"That's me. What do you need?"

"I have a message for you from your brother. He gave it to me while I was in Jamanicai Village."

"What's he doing there?"

"I don't know. I just give out messages. Well, good day, madam."

Nya closed the door and opened the parchment that rested in her fingertips. It was from Kai, but it was written differently than expected. She was thinking that he would send a message to her that he no longer cared about anything anymore and was never returning home. Instead, she read that Kai is a changed man and good at heart. He is no longer the gambler that she's known all her life. It specifically said that she doesn't need to expect him to come home with bags of gold because his days of stealing money are over. It also stated that it was better for her to run the shop than it was for him to. He apologized for a lot of things, especially for telling Nya all the time that she had no rights. She was glad this message came, but why does it feel like she didn't want the message to come that Kai has changed? Something just wasn't right about it for a moment.

Another knock came at the door. Nya opened it and saw the soothsayer of Ignacia, a look of fear in his eyes. He was actually shuddering a little bit. "Miss Nya Smith, I'm sorry to disturb you, but there is news that you must know. It's important that you hear it."

"What is it?" Nya asked.

"You will wander away from the shop tomorrow and asked somebody to play a game of cards. You will win and take all the money, but I have come to tell you not to do so."

"Are you kidding me? After all the times I came to you and asked about my future, you come and tell me something like this? You told me that I'll have a wonderful life. What gives you the right to say that things will change tomorrow? Have you been lying to me all this time? Are you really a soothsayer?"

"There is more to explain."

"There is nothing more you have to say. I'm through listening to you. My brother was right. Your nothing but a fraud. A phony. A fake. You don't know how to tell the future. Maybe it's best if you find another career that your good at before you end up going crazy. Good day, sir."

Nya slammed the door in the man's face, walking away from it. After spending a few minutes next to the window to make sure the man was gone, Nya started crying. Her sobbing became loud that even the neighbors could hear it. Could her life be changing right before her eyes? She could be going through changes. After years of just being with the only family she had, Nya realized that Kai was the reason she was acting in such a way. She wasn't sure it was him, but it had to be someone. Minutes had passed and Nya finally stopped crying. She decided not to make dinner and go straight to bed. The evening for her has been terrible. It's only a matter of time before she goes out to make a terrible decision.

* * *

Inside the dressing room of the kingdom, Miss Carol Dominez was invited over to start picking out her wedding dress. There were thousands to choose from, but only one could be worn. Queen Misako has been doing everything she could to keep her mind off her son. Helping Carol out with her wedding was one thing. Other things would come soon, but this was all she could handle for now. Right now, Carol was trying on her third dress, but it was too tight on her hips and the veil was too long. She was looking for something that was the right length, fit perfectly and had a veil that was a few inches past her shoulders. It was a beautiful dress, but it didn't fit right.

"It's a beautiful dress, but the veil is too long and its tight on my hips," Carol said.

"I don't see the problem with a long veil, but you're right about it being tight," Queen Misako said, "Let's see if we can't find something else."

"There's a dress over here that I think will fit, Your Highness."

"Oh, it's very beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. It's perfect for a knight's bride. Why don't you go try it on, dear?"

"I sure do hope it fits." Carol walked behind a pair of curtains in the room to try on the dress.

Footsteps were heard coming inside the room. "Well, if it isn't my dear friend, Queen Misako." Misako turned around to see Duchess Lora entered the room. "I thought I would drop by for a little visit."

"It's always wonderful to see you, Lora," Misako said, hugging her dear friend, "How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been better. It's been busier than usual, but I get used to it. By the way, I heard Miss Zeah Julien was coming over today. Hasn't anyone told you that?"

"I didn't hear about it until now. When will she arrive?"

"In about an hour or so. She's always trying to make sure her home is spotless. What is with that young woman? I don't mean to be rude about it, but she's not like the other girls around here. She cares about her loving home and her husband more than anything else. She has a maid and a nurse. Why can't she just make them do it all? Even with all that, why isn't she a mother? This is her second wedding anniversary. I'm sure it's the right time to do all the things that should've been finished with a while ago."

"Lora, there's no reason to be rude about it. Zeah isn't like all the other girls, but that's just who she is. You can't change anything about that. If she wants to wait to have children, let her. If she wants to take care of her own home, let it be so. She is the lady of that house."

"The lady of the house should make sure that it's cleaned up by all the maids and servants. She shouldn't be doing it herself. Why, if I were her, I would be going out and spending time with the other ladies. Is she going to do it? Probably not. Why should anybody even try?"

"Zeah is just who she is. That's all there is to it. There's no reason to discuss the matter anymore. Besides, she is coming over anyway. You can talk to her about it then. Why should you be telling me about all of this?"

"I just figured that you should be the person to know. After all, you are the queen. You should be concerned about the ladies just a little bit."

Misako hesitated and turned away so she was no longer facing Lora. She sighed. "Just because I am the queen and I should be the first to know about everything doesn't mean that I should be concerned about everybody I know. Besides, I'm not the first to know about things that happen."

"I finished putting the dress on, Your Majesty," Carol said behind the curtain, "Would you like to see it?"

"Come on out, darling," Misako said, motioning Carol to remove herself from the curtains that his her. Carol stepped out and revealed the most wonderful dress that has ever been placed on a lady. The length of it was just right as the veil was the exact size Carol hoped for. Plus, it was the right size. Not too tight. Not too loose. It was perfect and beautiful. "It's the most wonderful dress I've ever seen. What do you think, Lora?"

"It looks to be the most appropriate and outstanding dress I've ever seen," Lora said, "There's nothing I can say against it."

"It's the dress I've dreamed of wearing on my wedding day," Carol said, "I'll take this one."

"It's the perfect decision," Misako said, "Why don't you go ahead and take it off now, darling. We'll keep it in a safe place until your special day arrives. Come back next week and we'll continue with the preparations. It seems I have more to do now. I'll have someone escort you out."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I'll be sure to come back next week. Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye, darling."

Carol turned towards Lora. "It was wonderful to see you again, Duchess Lora."

"The same to you, dear," Lora said, "I hope to see you again soon."

Carol walked back behind the curtain as Misako and Lora left out the dressing room. A servant walked up to the two noble ladies and curtsied in respect. "Your Majesty and Duchess Lora. Lady Zeah Juliun has arrived. Where would you like her to be at?"

"Send her to the library and tell her we will be there in just a few minutes," Misako said.

"Yes, Your Highness." The servant walked away, leaving the two ladies to continue on their way.

"The time has come to talk to that young girl about certain things," Lora said, "It's time to tell her."

"Do not be too drastic at the spur of the moment, Lora," Misako said, "I need to explain about her second wedding anniversary preparations before her special day comes. It is only a matter of time."

"After you're finished with that, I need to speak with her. The time has come. Some things need to be completed before her third wedding anniversary."

The two women made their way down the hall in silence. Once they entered the library, Zeah was sitting in one of the softest chairs that was available. The largest belonged to Misako, who spent some of her time in the library studying ancient Nin history. Lora rarely came to the castle, but she still had a seat of her own. As the ladies got comfortable, Lora asked the servant to bring in some tea.

Zeah smiled at the two women sitting across from her. "It is always a pleasure to see you, Queen Misako."

"It's wonderful to see you, too, darling," Misako said, "You might want to get comfortable because Lora here will have something to talk about as well."

"I would like to go ahead and talk about the anniversary preparations. I have some ideas in mind. They may not be much, but I am not the type of person who likes things that are big and fancy. I was thinking of a simple banquet with mine and Sir Zane`s favorite meal. I have it written down right here." Zeah handed the queen a written parchment. "After dinner, I was hoping we could do a little dancing. The waltz is my most favorite dance and Zane enjoys doing it as well. That is as much as I can handle."

"Is this all that you want?"

"Yes, Your Highness. That is all that I need and I shall plan no more."

"Excellent. I'll have the cooks prepare the meal a few days before and I'll make sure the ballroom is nicely decorated. Your second wedding anniversary is going to be a splendid day. There's no doubt about it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The servant brought the tea inside and set it down on the table. She curtsied and left the room. Lora handed Zeah a cup of tea. "You might as well enjoy this while you can, Zeah. You never sip tea much with the ladies."

"I am not that kind of lady, Duchess Lora," Zeah said, sipping her tea.

"That's the problem. You've never acted like all the ladies around here. All you do is stay home and do housework when you have a maid and a nurse to do all that for you. It makes me think that you hate having them around."

"I do not think such thoughts."

"You still think that your a poor girl, don't you? It makes me think that you regret ever marrying your husband."

"I am happy with the life I am living right now."

"Then there are two things that you need to start doing the day after your anniversary. First things first. You need to start acting more like the ladies. Give your maid and nurse something to do. Spend a little more time out in the open rather than being cooped up inside your home all day long. There's no reason to be doing such things. Here is the second thing. It's time that you and your husband consider about becoming parents. Your time to have children should've been right after your first anniversary, which was about a year ago. It is time for you to start acting like all the other noble ladies around here instead of acting like a poor woman."

Zeah placed her tea cup down and stood up from her seat. "I thank you for telling me all that, Duchess Lora, but I have no intentions to ever be like a noble women. Also, about me having children, you will have to wait for that time. I plan to talk to my husband right after he returns. I thank you for a wonderful time. I will be going now. Goodbye, Your Majesty."

"Goodbye, Zeah," Misako said, "See you another time."

Before Lora could catch up with the young girl, Zeah was already out the door. Lora sighed. "It will be impossible to get inside that woman's head. Mark my words, she will become a noble women weather she likes it or not. I will make sure that it happens." Lora walked out of the library without another word.

Misako became worried. Lora was always doing certain stuff to make people act the way they are suppose to. The thing is, Zeah would not change. It would be impossible, but Zeah is too smart to see what Lora is up to. Misako sat back down in her seat and began reading her book that she has read four times already. No matter what Misako could do, it was best to stay out of Lora`s way.

* * *

The cold, snowy regions of the Northern border puts a chill to the bone. If a person is not from that particular border, then nobody else should live there because some people are already used to the cold. It never stops snowing. Blizzards are common and happen at least a few times a month. People have to work hard to keep the snow off the roads. Some days, it's difficult to even walk to work. The north may not be the richest border in the country, but it sure is the coldest.

In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by almost forty feet of snow, a log cabin laid in a certain little spot. Nobody was inside the house at the moment. It was dark except for a few candles that lit up the living room. Some of the candles were out because they were sitting on the windowsill. The cabin looked gloomy when nobody was inside. It wasn't completely empty, though. Underneath the bear skin carpet, there is a door that leads to the basement. When somebody went downstairs, they would be surprised to see a few dishes sitting in the corner, some chains on the ceiling and a little prince who was chained by his feet, trying his best to get comfortable.

The young Prince Lloyd did not know how long he was inside that dark little basement that he stated would be a dungeon. It looked like a dungeon. It smelled like a dungeon. He knew what a dungeon was because he's been inside the kingdom's plenty of times. This was different, though. He didn't think that he would be locked up inside one. He was tired of being down there. How long was he there, anyway? A day? Two days? Maybe a week? An entire month? Prince Lloyd had no idea. He still remembered the night he was kidnapped, though. He woke up because he heard strange noises. When he got out of bed, he walked towards the window. He stood still a moment as a strange shadow appeared behind him without the young child even noticing. A rock place itself towards the prince's forehead a hit him hard, leaving an open wound that looked as though it needed to be closed up. That was all he remembered. Hours later, he woke up in the same room he was in now, his feet chained up so he couldn't escape. He was scared, frightened and alone. The young boy even cried a few times, but nobody seemed to acknowledge him. Nobody didn't even seem to notice.

Lloyd may not know how long he was inside that little prison, but he does know that he hasn't been there long enough to be whipped so many times. Everyday, the young prince would be whipped three times in the back. Seeing that it's only happened four times, Lloyd could tell that's how many days he was there. It was difficult for Lloyd to lie on his back. The shadow man said he would wait three days to do something else. Lloyd hoped that somebody would be there to rescue him. Day one would start tomorrow.

A window sat right around where Lloyd was sitting. He knew it was cold in that area, but he didn't want to get up. He was too tired and in pain to even sit up. The chains bound to his feet made it difficult to walk. He couldn't sleep very often at night. He would for only a couple of hours and then he would wake up from a nightmare. Usually, when that happened, his mother would walk inside his room and cradle him in her arms until he went to sleep. He was starting to get used to not having that feeling anymore. He missed his parents. He missed everything he loved. Tears started flooding his sweet little tired eyes. All he wanted was to go home.

* * *

 **WELL, THAT'S THE END OF ANOTHER CHAPTER. I THOUGHT I WOULD MAKE THIS CHAPTER ABOUT THE LADIES TO SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING. IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE DUCHESS LORA WANTS EVERYTHING TO BE PERFECT AND FOR PEOPLE TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. MISAKO IS THE TYPE OF PERSON TO LET ANYBODY DO THINGS AS THEY PLEASE. AFTER ALL, YOU CAN'T CONTROL SOMEONE'S LIFE.**

 **LLOYD IS NOT LIKING WHAT HE'S SEEING. AFTER FOUR DAYS, HE IS TORTURED BY GETTING WHIPPED. WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING? WHO IS THE SHADOW MAN THAT THEY KEEP TALKING ABOUT?**

 **MORE WILL COME ALONG THE WAY. BY THE WAY, I WILL BE PUTTING A POLL QUESTION ON MY PROFILE, SO PLEASE ANSWER IT AND BE HONEST.**

 **I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE LOVING THIS STORY SO FAR.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	8. Attack in the Woods

CHAPTER 7

ATTACK IN THE WOODS

The night was long and didn't rush through for a moment. Kai was tired and has been sitting on his horse for five hours straight. The knights were not bothered by it, though. They were used to traveling at night. Kai knew that it was a mistake coming on this journey, but he wanted to prove to his sister that he could be trusted. By now, she must have already gotten the message. He hoped that she did. To be honest, he didn't mind sitting on his horse for hours without a break. They all stopped for only ten minutes of the night, and then they were off again. Fatigue started hitting Kai in the face, but he ignored it. He didn't want the knights to think he was weak, although he didn't have any fighting skills. At that moment, the knights slowed down and began a steady walking pace. Kai just wanted to fall asleep right then and there. His eyes could no longer stay open. His mind was telling him that he needed a break. If only they could stop right now, he would fall asleep in a wink.

Sir Cole stopped his horse, giving the other two the signal to halt as well. Kai stopped his horse from walking as well. Sir Cole climbed off his horse and started walking around. "It seems like a good open area. We'll stop here and rest for a couple of hours. After that, we need to get a move on."

"Do we have to keep going at a pace like this?" Kai asked, wobbling off his horse, "I'm sure we're already in the Eastern border by now."

"The sooner we find the prince, the sooner we can get him back home and get you back to your village. I'm sure your sister is starting to worry about you by now."

"I'm sure she got my message yesterday. There's nothing to worry about. I only came on this journey because I want to prove to my sister that she can trust me. I want her to believe that I've changed." Kai looked through his satchel and found a few pieces of gold and gave them to Cole. "I'm sure you believe that I've changed."

"You wouldn't be giving me your money if you didn't, but I can't accept this." Cole placed the money back into Kai`s hand. "It's your money. You keep it."

"I've taken away too much. I need to start giving back everything I stole."

"You can start giving back by feeding yourself some breakfast before you starve to death."

"That's just giving me something. You need something in return. All three of you."

Cole turned around and sighed. "I've got everything I need."

Kai put away his satchel and reached into his bag for some beef and water. He sat down on a log and look to see Cole leaning against a tree, eating nothing but sliced up bananas and strawberries. Kai felt sorry for him a little bit. He had no meat to share with his meal. Knowing it could be his chance to give back, Kai walked up to the black knight and sat against the tree opposite from him. "Your eating a meal that's grown from the soil. Care to put some meat on the side?"

"I try to eat as little meat as possible," Sir Cole said, "When your on a quest, you have to eat things that will keep you going. You can't let anything slow you down."

"Where I come from, you eat meat with every meal, no matter what part of the day it is."

"I know what your trying to do. Your trying to give back. You need to keep your strength up. Don't try to give everything away just so you can apologize. It doesn't always work that way."

Kai remembered what Cole had said a few minutes earlier. "When you said that you've got everything you need, what did you mean by that? Don't you ever expect something in return?"

Cole sighed. "Not all the time, but if it's from the king, I'll accept it. I would never refuse something from the king. I honor him and I serve him. I defend the crown. That's my job. That's my responsibility. There's nothing I can do to change that. I wasn't forced to be a knight. I wasn't made to become one. It was my decision, and I'm glad I made it. I'm glad I get to do something that I actually enjoy doing." Cole paused and looked above him. "Let me tell you something that I've never told anyone before. I was made to be a child prodigy. My father made sure that I learned to dance, sing and all that other stuff. When I was fourteen, he passed away. On his deathbed, he told me that he was only teaching me to do things for the better. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I told him I would do no such thing. The day after he passed on, I left my hometown. I never looked back. I was afraid to show my face. If I ever went back, I was terrified of the fact that they would capture me, spit in my face and tell me that I've become something I shouldn't have done. That's why I never returned. In my village, people have a way to force you to do something. That's one way to get punished. To this day, I'm known as an outcast."

"Are you still happy with the life that your living now? Do you have everything you need?"

"What more do I want? I have a nice home, a wonderful career and I'm about to get married to the love of my life soon. Like I said before, I have everything I need. A lot more will come along the way, but for now, I'm a happy man."

"I'm glad to hear that." Kai sighed. "I still don't get it, though. Why is it that everyone is giving me something? I should be returning the favor back to everybody else. I took away a lot of money. Doesn't that give you all a sign?"

"All will come in good time. If the duke of Nin were here, he would tell you to have patience."

"Sir Cole, I sense that we are about to get into the midst of trouble," Sir Zane said, "We must get Kai to a safe place."

"You can sense trouble coming ahead?" Kai asked, confused.

"Sir Jay, find a place to keep Kai hidden at," Cole said, "Zane and I will keep a sharp eye out."

"I believe that won't be necessssssary," a voice said from behind a tree. The figure came out and revealed himself to be a large snake. His eyes were red with scales as green as pure rough blankets. His tail was long and he held a staff in his hand made of pure gold with a jewel placed at the top in the middle. His tail had a rattle at the end of it. "I ssssupossse we meet again."

"Skales," Cole said, "I didn't think you would come back. I was hoping we didn't have to deal with you. Where are your men? We will fight if we must."

"Calm down. There'sssss no reasssson to ssstart a fight, sssso don't even bother. I merely came to fight you mysssself."

"I don't believe that for a moment. Show us your men. I know there here."

Skales sword collided with Cole's as he looked him in the eye. "Do you believe me now?"

"You wanna fight, huh? Well, I'll just give you one." With that, Cole started sword fighting with the giant snake, trying his best not to look him in the eyes. He turned his head towards Kai. "Hurry up and find a place to hide. We'll take care of this." Skales knocked Cole down and held his sword up in victory. Cole wouldn't go down easily. He swung his sword and hit Skales in the face. The battle had begun.

As the other two knights ran up to help Cole, Kai ran off behind some trees, looking out at the battle as much as he could. He could see every move being made, every sword clinging against each other and every leaf on the tree began to sway as they watched the fight happening in front of them. Not only could Kai recognize all that, but he saw that the knights had some sort of power that he's never seen before. A burning sensation started powering up through his head, making Kai yelp in pain and keep his hand on his forehead. His head started beating and he started sweating. Was he getting a fever? He remembered the same thing happening yesterday, but he wasn't sure if this was the same thing. His head finally stopped aching, but his body started burning after that. What was happening to him? At that moment, the burning died down and Kai had a feeling that the knights needed help. He picked up his sword and walked towards the battlefield.

All the knights were on the ground by the time Kai got out there. Cole saw him and sat up immediately. "No, Kai, stay back!"

"What do we have here?" Skales asked, "A little peassssent. What did you hide for? We're you trying to prepare yoursssself for battle?"

Without saying a word, Kai thrust his sword at the snake, smacking him in the face. Skales fought back, though, and punched Kai in the mouth, leaving a cut on the bottom corner of his lip. Skales swung his sword again, but Kai blocked it. Without giving Skales enough time to prepare, Kai pushed him to the ground, kicking his sword out of his hand and sent it flying. Without a weapon to defend him, Kai was about to slay him, bit Skales held his hand up in defense.

"Sssstop, pleassse," Skales said, terror filling his eyes, "Don't do it. I merely battled you on my own for a reasssson. I wassss told to keep you all out of the Northern border. I'm telling the truth."

"You must have a link to the prince," Cole said, getting up and pointing his sword at Skales, "Where is the prince?"

"I don't know. I only know the perssson that hasss the prince."

"What's their name?"

"I don't know that, either. I don't even know what he looksss like. He wearsss all black. I know hissss gender becausssse of the way he sssoundssss. I'm ssspeaking the truth. Honessst."

"Does the man have a link to anybody else?"

"Not that I know of. He told me that he knew a few people, but their ssstill up in the north, waiting for your arrival. Pleassse let me go. I won't attack you again. I promissse."

Cole removed his sword from the snake. "If there's anything I've learned over the years is that villains never keep their promises." Cole raised up his sword and placed it in the snakes leg. Pulling it out, the knights and Kai saw green liquid pour out of the creature. Cole looked at him with stern eyes. "Looks like you won't be doing anything for a long time." He walked away from the snake and went to pick up his sword. He walked up to Kai. "For your bravery and stepping into battle without fear, I present you with a sword from the enemy. Once it is placed in your hands, it is known as a weapon for the good."

"I'm not accepting anything else until you have something in return," Kai said.

"You've already given us that. You stepped into battle when we needed you. For that, I give you something in return."

"I can't say no to that." Kai took the sword and placed it in his hands. "Looks like I made it up to you guys. Now all I have to do is make it up to my sister when I get home."

"If Skales came, then maybe some other snakes might find us here as well when they figure out he's gone," Jay said, "We need to get a move on."

Kai turned around and saw that Skales was not there. "He's gone. He's not here anymore. Where did he go?"

"Well, he turned into dust and then turned into bones once he got to the underworld," Cole explained, "Where do you think the skeleton army came from? Their villains that died by doing something evil. There's no reason to worry about it now."

"You only stabbed him in the leg. That can't possibly destroy someone."

"Listen, snakes are different than humans. If a human is stabbed in the leg, he can be treated. When a snake is stabbed, their done for. One stab and their gone. By the way, he didn't have legs earlier. When a snake like him is defeated, he loses his tail. He only had a tail because he was a general. The Great Sensei knows that we'll be facing more of them along the way. We need to get a move on."

Without another word, everyone climbed on their horses and traveled on with the journey. Kai had thoughts swarm through his head. _What is happening to me?_ Kai thought, _This is the first time I've ever felt a burning sensation go through my whole body. Am I going through changes because I became good? No, that's not it. That can't be it. That will never be it._ Little did Kai know that away from home, things would be happening that he wasn't concerned with. He hoped that Nya was alright. He just hoped that she was. He just had to have hope.

* * *

In Ignacia, Nya was cleaning off the counters in the shop. There were no customers at the time, so she was giving herself something to do. She worked hard all morning to try and not fall asleep. All night, she kept tossing and turning and waking up from nightmares and weird dreams. She even cried for at least an hour before falling back asleep an hour before she had to wake up. The morning was a long and difficult one. She would hardly keep her eyes open and it was hard to concentrate on anything. She thought about closing up the shop, but shutting the doors in the middle of the day would cause a riot. The door opened and Nya stepped away from behind the counter.

"What can I get you, sir?" Nya asked as nicely as she possibly could.

"I didn't come here to buy anything," the man said, "I was wondering if you wanted to come and help me with something."

"Listen, I don't know you, so the answer is no."

"Listen, lady, I don't know you, either, but a guy like me has to make a living. You can understand that, right?"

"I really don't know you, sir, and I would appreciate it if you just leave."

"I'll leave if you want me to, but first were gonna play a little game. If you win, I'll leave and give you all my money. If I win, then I take half your money and you'll have to come with me. We got a deal?"

"I suppose. What game are we playing?"

"Cards, but you'll never beat me. You wanna play war?"

"Sounds okay to me." Nya locked the doors and placed the close sign over the window. She didn't care if people started to riot or not. She was busy doing something. "Let the game begin."

The game lasted for about an hour. Only seven wars happened at that time, but Nya won more of them than her opponent. She never played the game before, but she was winning. He only had about ten cards left. When a war came, Nya laid out a king. The man across from her laid out a queen. She took all the cards he had with only one left. Nya motioned for him to lay his card out first. He did and it turned out to be a king, but Nya pulled a card out a placed it on the table. It was an Ast card. Nya had won the game.

"How did you beat me?" the man asked, "I used my own cards."

"I guess using your own stuff doesn't really help you win," Nya said, "Looks like you owe me two things. All your money and to get out of here."

He took three bags out of his satchel. "Here. This is all I have. Three bags of gold. I'll keep my promise and leave." Handing Nya all his money, he left empty handed, giving Nya a stern look when he left.

"Thank you for your time. I hope we get to play again soon."

When the man left, Nya had a strange feeling inside her. She thought she did something that she never thought she could do before. She took the challenge and won. At that moment, Nya felt as though she didn't need to be told what to do anymore. It was a good feeling for only a few minutes. She slid down on the floor with her back leaning against the counter. Tears left her eyes as she started crying. It was loud enough to be heard down the street. She knew she done the wrong thing. Something was really wrong and she didn't know what to do. She had nobody to help her.

* * *

Inside the library of the kingdom, Queen Misako was busy with the book that she started reading yesterday. Sometimes keeping her busy kept her mind off certain things. She tried her hardest to keep her thoughts off Lloyd, but he always kept popping up in her dreams. At night, she would cry. In the daytime, she would look calm and relaxed, when really she was worried. At that moment, all her thoughts went down the drain as she spotted an illustration in her book. At the top of the page were the blue, black and white knights. Right underneath them, in the center of the page, there was another knight, but his color was red. At the bottom, under the red knight, was a green knight with gold highlight designs. Guesses started forming in Misako`s head. Only three knights were found, but what if they all contain a prophecy? What if there weren't just three knights, but four? Could the green knight be the leader of them all? What was so important about those five figures? _Perhaps time will tell me,_ Misako thought, _Sometimes things will happen when you least expect them to._

The door to the library opened, revealing King Garmadon walking inside. His eyes had a look of fatigue and desperation. He walked over to his chair and took a seat. Sometimes his work would be done early, so he took the time to rest after a long day. He sighed as he looked at his wife. "It has been a long day, my dear."

"Everyday is a long one for you, darling," Misako said, putting her book down, "If you want, I can help you."

"No, no. That's quite alright. I can handle it myself."

"What were the days events, darling?"

"My brother came over again today. He has a link to where our son may be. He's certain that Lloyd is in the Northern border. That's where the kidnapper lives. I just received more news today. The kidnapper has allies that are trying to stop our knights from making it to the border. I also heard that someone spotted the knights in the east. They'll probably be there in a day or two."

"I wish there was something we could do. I'd do anything to get our son back."

"There is one thing we can do. I'm not sure if it'll work, but we can try. For now, let us just hope that the Great Sensei is watching over our son."

"That's all we can hope for."

The king and queen remained in their seats until the day ended. The sun went down and dinner was over. By the time the two went to bed, Misako went to sleep quickly. She didn't light a candle and place it in her lantern. Once her eyes closed, she was fast asleep. She didn't see anything all night. Not a single dream entered her head. She knew Lloyd would be found. Her heart told her so.

* * *

 **KAI IS STARTING TO SEE SOME POTENTIAL GROWING INSIDE OF HIM. WHAT COULD IT MEAN? HIS WHOLE BODY IS STARTING TO BOIL LIKE HE HAS A FEVER OR SOMETHING. HE ACTUALLY FOUGHT A SNAKE WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF TRAINING. HE MUST HAVE SOME KIND OF POWER.**

 **NYA IS STARTING TO HAVE A GAMBLING PROBLEM. HOW CAN THIS BE? AT FIRST, SHE WAS TRYING TO STOP HER BROTHER FROM GAMBLING. NOW SHE'S DOING IT. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. OTHERWISE, SHE'LL SPEND THE REST OF HER LIFE PLAYING CARDS.**

 **THE KING AND QUEEN ARE DESPERATE TO FIND THEIR SON. SOMETHING DRASTIC WILL HAPPEN. I WONDER WHAT THEY PLAN TO DO.**

 **THIS IS A GREAT STORY. DON'T YOU THINK SO?**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	9. Lightning Storms

CHAPTER 8

LIGHTNING STORMS

The Eastern border was filled with the worst storms anyone could ever imagine. There was one part of the land where lightning storms were possible to happen. The knights and Kai were walking past what most people call Shocking Rock. Although, it wasn't really a rock. It was more like a mountain instead. People that ever go up there sometimes never come down. Even though the old saying is what goes up, must come down, but this old monument never gave the person a chance to. Sometimes people will come down, but they'll be shocked with electricity for the rest of their life. Their just lucky to be alive. All the knights stared for a moment and continued on their way, leaving Sir Jay alone, staring at that rock. He remembered the times when he was a child how his parents had always told him to never go up there, even when he was grown. Sir Cole saw Jay just sitting there and turned around to face him.

"Sir Jay, keep moving," Cole said, "We'll never find shelter at a pace like this."

Jay galloped to the others. "It's starting to get dark. Lightning storms are very possible to happen when night falls. We should start finding shelter out here."

Kai looked around until he saw something that looked like a cave. "I see a cave right over there."

"Better than nothing," Jay said, walking towards it with Kai and Zane following him.

"Are you sure we'll be safe in there from this rock?" Cole asked.

"As long as we're twenty feet away from it, we'll be fine," Jay said, "Nothing to be frightened about unless your scared of lightning storms."

"I fear nothing, but I would like it more if we went inside."

The cave they entered into was empty. It didn't seem to have any left over foods from an animal. It didn't look like an animal lived inside of there. It was the perfect place to spend the night. A fire didn't need to be made. Jay pulled out a few lanterns and lit the candle up inside of them. It was pretty warm in the Eastern border. It hardly ever got cold. The only times it did get cold was most of December and half of January. If you were lucky and lived close to the Northern border, you would get at least a few inches of snow. During most of the year, though, it would still be warm. The temperature never got passed eighty degrees, even at night. It was kind of the same way in the Western border, although they weren't traveling through that part of the country. Either way, the men knew it would be a comfortable night.

It wasn't that way for Kai. That burning sensation came back up in his head again. Sweat started pouring down from his forehead. His throat became dry and he began to cough. Sir Zane looked over towards Kai and saw it was difficult for him to get comfortable. He walked over towards the uncomfortable man. "Are you alright, Kai?"

"I don't know what's going on with me," Kai said, "This is the third time I've felt this burning sensation go through my head and then boil through my body. This is the first time I've felt dryness in my throat. It's like I'm becoming ill or something."

Zane placed his hand on Kai`s forehead. "You seem to be burning up. You may have a fever."

"Wait." Suddenly, the burning sensation left Kai`s head, but didn't go through his body. His throat became moist again and he could finally talk normally. "It's gone. I don't feel it anymore."

"It is gone?" Zane placed his hand on Kai`s forehead again. "It is. Let me know when it happens again." Zane walked back over to his horse.

"Let you know about it?" Jay said, "Why can't he tell the rest of us?"

"Because he's the only one that can figure it out," Cole said.

"I knew that."

Kai sat up and leaned against his horse, making the horse move a little closer to the wall. "Sorry, boy. Didn't mean to startle you. Say, I don't think I ever gave you a name. I think I should. You like the name Flames?" The horse snorted. "I'm going to guess that was a yes."

"I thought I was the crazy man around these parks," Jay said, "Who would name a horse?"

"Anything can have a name," Kai told him, "Don't your horses have names?"

"They were given to us by the king," Cole said, "Haven't you ever heard of the line all the king`s horses and all the king`s men? We belong to the king and we help protect the country. That's how it works."

"If they were given to you, that means they belong to you. The king gave them to you. This is something that you can't refuse. You can name them whatever you want."

"Well, I come from the Western border, and its filled with a bunch of rocks, so I guess I can name this steed of mine here Rocky. What do you think of that, boy?" The horse let out a noise. "I think he likes the name."

"I have never given any type of creature a name before," Zane said, "I think I will name this horse of mine Shards. After all, I am from the north."

"I can't think of a good name," Jay said, "I suppose Wisp would be alright. It doesn't matter to me."

"You seem out of sorts," Kai said, "Are you okay?"

"I always seem different when I come here. The east is my home. The village I grew up in might be about thirty miles away from here, but I don't ever plan to go back."

"Why is that?"

"Well, for one thing, my parents don't live there anymore. Another thing is the village I grew up in is full of middle class citizens. I grew up with lots of money and sometimes with less money. You never know what you can expect. We still had enough money to pay our taxes, though. So when I became a knight, they started calling my family a bunch of rich folks and made them leave home. Now their happily living in a middle class civilization around the kingdom. Otherwise, I don't plan to go back to the place I grew up in."

"None of you ever plan to go back to where you came from. It's like everybody is rebelling from the kingdom."

"That's not the point," Cole said, "Everyone honors the king and queen. They never honor a noble. People think that we care a lot more about money and power than we do ourselves. Not all nobles are like that. None of us are like that. I know a few people that are, but their the only one's that don't have families. Zane here is already a married man and is about to celebrate his second anniversary. I'm about to be married soon. Jay here is still trying to find somebody. I'm not being rude or anything, but it's hard for a crazy man to find a girl around these parks. The thing is that we all plan to start families one day. That's what we wanna do. I'm sure you have the same thoughts."

"Right now, the only family I have is my sister," Kai said, "I'm just waiting for the right time to even consider finding someone out there."

"It'll come one day. You just have to be patient."

An hour had passed and the storm outside began to get strong. The wind was blowing hard, but it didn't affect anything or anyone inside the cave. The horses were already resting for the night, seeing that tomorrow will be another long day to travel. The men were starting to turn in for the night, leaving Jay awake. Zane had already blew the candles out from the lanterns, but Jay was still wide awake. During a lightning storm like this, it was hard for him to sleep. It would be a long night.

* * *

The beginning of the night would be another normal one for Zeah. Everyday, she would be cleaning the house, making it spotless as she waited for her husband's return. She cleaned it so much that she told her maid to go home. The nurse stayed since she lived there. After another day, Zeah had made dinner for herself. Just when she was about to sit down, a knock came on the door. She walked up and opened it, revealing Duchess Lora standing in the doorway. Zeah curtsied when she saw her, but Lora stopped her.

"There is no reason to do that, my dear," Lora said, "You know me well."

"I am sorry, Duchess Lora, it is just... royalty never enters here in my home," Zeah said, closing the door for Lora, "What brings you here?"

"First off, I want to apologize for the actions that I showed yesterday afternoon. Second, I was wondering if I could join you for dinner."

"Yes, of course. Make yourself at home. I made enough of a meal for two."

"I will wait for your maid to get it. Have a seat."

"The maid is not here. I sent her home when she first arrived this morning."

"Where is your nurse? I'm sure she's still here."

"I do not want to bother her. Allow me to get your plate for you."

"No, no. You need to let the people that were hired to help you around the house do the work. A noble woman should not be doing so much work. It brings pain to your hands and strains your eyes."

"No matter what you say, I will not listen. I will go and get your dinner."

Lora sighed. "I will come with you if that is what you must do."

Zeah walked inside the kitchen with Lora following behind. Zeah walked over to the pot on the fire stove. "I made turkey with chicken broth. It is one of my favorite meals. I hope you will enjoy it."

"Really? You made this yourself. It makes me think that we made the wrong choice hiring a maid for you."

"Please, Duchess Lora, I really do not feel like talking about this tonight. Maybe another time."

"Tonight is the right time to talk about this. That's the reason I came over here. I didn't come over to have dinner. I came over to put some sense into you. I'll do whatever it takes to make you a true noble women. From now on, the maid will be doing all the house cleaning. The nurse will be taking care of you. You will be invited to as many things as we possibly can invite you to. I don't care how much you like being inside this house. I don't like it, and neither does anybody else. I will make sure that there are some changes around here."

"What kind of duchess would come inside my home and force me to do such things? I cannot believe the words coming out of your mouth. A lady like you should not be saying such things. It makes me think that you should not be part of royalty at all."

"You better watch what you're saying. I can make sure that the queen does not hold the plans for your second wedding anniversary. It seems to me like you don't deserve one. I wouldn't consider you a good wife."

"You are a terrible woman. I should have known that from the start. I do not care if you are a duchess or not. I want you to leave my home immediately and never return." With that, Lora took the plate in Zeah`s hands and flicked it in her face, broth dripping from her face and Turkey dropping on the floor. Zeah walked out of the kitchen and went straight into the living room, opening the door. "Here is the door. There is the outside world. I want you to remember every single bit of this. Do not step foot inside my home ever again."

"Then I will step my foot on this." Her foot landed on Zeah`s, causing the heel to break off the shoe. Lora gave her a stern look. "You want to act like a poor woman, I'll treat you like a poor woman. You may have won now, but next time, you won't get off so easy. You will learn to be a noble women weather you like it or not. I haven't a care in the world for what you like anymore."

"You have one minute to get out of my house."

"Give me some time to explain things and I will be on my way."

"You have nothing else to say. I am through listening to you. I do not want to be like all the other noble women. They care about nothing but themselves. They do not care about their children. They do not even care about their husbands. They only became nobles because they are selfish women who wanted to be rich. I married Zane because I love him. I did not marry him because he was rich. I did not marry him because I wanted to feel important. He loves me and I love him. That is what marriage is all about. That is why I do not want to be a noble woman."

"I see. Well, it looks like I misjudged you. I sincerely apologize for the actions that I've shown tonight. If there were reasons, you could've just told me. I would've understood. I thank you for being truthful. That was the right thing to do. You have your own opinions and I can't change that. If you still want me to leave, I will do so. I hope to see you again, Zeah."

"You do not have to go. Stay for dinner, Duchess Lora. I accept your apology."

"I flicked my plate in your face. I'm sure you don't want too many dishes to wash. Besides, I must head home. I'm sure my husband has returned. Goodbye, Zeah."

"Goodbye, Duchess Lora, and good night."

Lora walked out the door and it closed calmly as Zeah walked back into the kitchen and cleaned up the mess that was made a few moments earlier. She ate her dinner quickly. After putting all the dishes in the sink, she saw that tomorrow would be a new day. There was no reason to do them tonight. They would still be there by morning. Besides, she was tired and needed her sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day like it always was.

* * *

Inside the enclosed, freezing basement of the log cabin, Lloyd was sitting against the wall with a blanket over his legs. The man that looked like a shadow threw it at him not too long ago, along with a pillow. Lloyd supposed that the man did not want him to freeze inside that unheated room. The young boy tried to reach for the pillow, but it was too far off. Besides, the chains were still on his legs, so he couldn't move very far. Lloyd tried to get comfortable, but it was so hard to do so when it was cold and the room was damp and hard. This was the reason his parents didn't want him coming to the Northern border. It was so cold you could hardly feel your own feet. You could hardly feel your entire body, including your hair. Lloyd hated every moment of what was going on. He just wanted to go home.

He heard voices upstairs that sounded like arguing. It sounded like they were yelling. He was able to hear their conversation, but not very well. He removed the blanket off his feet and placed it over his shoulders. He carefully walked up as close to the stairs as he possibly could. He was actually able to make it up five steps, but he realized it would be too risky. He was actually able to hear what they were saying. It was two different voices.

"How long have you kept the prince in there?" one of the men asked.

"Four or five days," the other man said, "I can't remember. You should be counting the days."

"You've kept him chained up in that basssement for the passsst five days, freezing him to death, chaining him by hisss feet, giving him nothing more than two mealsss a day and never giving him a chance to sssleep. I wanted him healthy ssso I could torture him myssself. You've been whipping him, haven't you?"

"It's my turn to do a little something around here. I'm done doing things for you. I didn't want to kidnap the kid in the first place."

"It ssseemsss that I can't trussst you to do anything. From thisss moment forward, you are no longer my henchmen. I'll jussst find sssomebody elssse. Bring me the boy ssso I can take care of him once and for all."

Lloyd carefully walked back over towards the wall and sat down, trying hard not to make so much noise. The door to the basement opened and the shadow man in black walks down the stairs with a key in his hands. He unlocks the chains off Lloyd's legs, keeping a tight grip on the boy's arm. His hands were tied behind his back with rope and he was taken upstairs. Lloyd didn't wanna go up there. He knew what was about to happen.

They walked inside the old fashioned living room and saw a snake man with a long tail standing in front of them. He was wearing a black suit as well, so it was hard to make out his color, but he seemed to be a general or something. He looked at Lloyd with red eyes.

"You look tired, little one," the snake man said, "How are you feeling?"

"Umm,... am I suppose to answer that question?" Lloyd asked, scared and confused.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Letsss get you out of that horrifying basssement. I'm taking you to a very ssspecial place."

"Are you taking me back home?"

"That would be the lassst place I would ever consssider taking you. Thisss place isss much more pleasssant."

"I don't wanna go anywhere else. I just wanna go home. Please take me home, whoever you are."

"Fine. You wanna go home, I'll take you home. We jussst need to make a quick ssstop along the way. Come with me, boy."

Lloyd knew that he got his wish. Being a prince has its perks. He was able to tell someone that he wanted to do something and they would do it for him. When they got outside, the snake man placed Lloyd inside his carriage and climbed inside himself, whipping his horse to make them move. They were leaving the awful place where Lloyd was trapped inside for five terrible days. It was a miracle. Home was just a hop, skip and a jump away.

The carriage made a complete stop near a river that never froze. Lloyd looked at the river flowing peacefully and wished that he were home by now. Without even noticing, the snake man threw Lloyd out of the carriage, making him fall into the cold, icy snow near the river. A blanket was thrown at him along with a sack.

"That should be enough for you," the snake man said.

"I thought you said that you were taking me home," Lloyd said.

"Did you really think I wasss telling you the truth? I'm a villain. A criminal on the run. I mussst return to my home now. Goodbye, young prince. I hope you enjoy ssspending the rest of your daysss in the cold weather."

Lloyd sat there in the cold freezing snow. If he had of known that he was being tricked, then he would've just ran off and hid somewhere. He had to be a child and tell someone to do something for him. He was only a boy. He was just trying to look out for himself. Tears streamed from his eyes, but before they could freeze over his face, a light from a lantern shined and kept them liquid. He hoped that help had finally arrived.

* * *

 **THE KNIGHTS NAMED THEIR HORSES. YES, THEY ARE THE SAME NAMES THAT THEY GAVE THEIR DRAGONS IN THE SHOW, BUT IN THIS TALE, ONLY HORSES CAN BE A WAY OF TRANSPORTATION. JAY IS SO NERVOUS TO BE IN THE EASTERN BORDER. NOW WE KNOW WHY THE COMMONERS AND MIDDLE CLASS HATE NOBLES.**

 **LORA MAY HAVE FAILED, BUT SHE UNDERSTANDS WHY ZEAH IS NOT LIKE ALL THE OTHER NOBLE WOMEN. IF YOU ASK ME, LORA IS LIKE ALL THE OTHER NOBLE WOMEN. TRY AND ACT A LOT MORE LIKE ZEAH, IF YOU CAN.**

 **LLOYD HAS LEFT THE CRUEL DEPTHS OF THE BASEMENT, BUT NOW SOME SNAKE MAN THAT LEFT HIMSELF UNNOTICED TOOK LLOYD AND THREW HIM OUT IN THE COLD WITH NOTHING BUT A SACK AND A BLANKET. WILL HE BE ALRIGHT? WILL THE KNIGHTS AND KAI EVER FIND HIM? I HOPE THEY DO.**

 **THIS IS AN AWESOME STORY, DON'T YOU THINK?**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	10. The Ultimate Weapon

CHAPTER 9

THE ULTIMATE WEAPON

King Garmadon and Queen Misako were inside the throne room. They were waiting on an important guest who happened to be an old friend. In the times of a monarchy, most people relied on a wise person to help them when something wrong happens. It was their job to not only predict the future, but to ask the Great Sensei for help. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't. This particular wise man was known as Bin Ling. He used to be the wise man of the kingdom, but after seeing something fearful in one of his spirit smokes, he went crazy and the king sent him on his way and took him to a part of Nin where he could live the rest of his days in peace. It took a few years to find a new wise man that was fresh and young, but in a situation like this, even he wouldn't be able to figure it out. Bin Ling was their only hope. If he couldn't help them, then nobody could.

Garmadon paced around the room and kept looking out the window. "Where is he? I didn't send him that far away. He should be here by now."

"Stay calm, my dear," Misako said, "They will bring Bin Ling here soon. Why bring him all the way here, anyway? Your brother is exceptionally wise. He may be able to help us in this situation."

"Wu has tried so many times, but he can't seem to find anything." He sat down on his throne. "This may be our only chance to find our son. After spending so long in solitude, I'm sure Bin Ling might be able to figure out how to solve this mess. He is our only hope. I'm tired of being patient, Misako. I just want our son back."

"I have faith that our son will return to us." She placed her hand on Garmadon`s. "The knights will find him. I know they will. They have never failed a quest before and they won't start now. You just have to believe that they can do this."

"I believe they can do it, but what more can the future hold?"

The door to the throne room opened and the royal advisor entered. "Your Majesties, may I present to you, Bin Ling." He stepped out of the way to let an older man inside.

Bin Ling has changed since the last time anyone saw him. His long white beard was only a few feet away from touching the floor. He no longer wore the fancy robe that he used to wear. He now wore a blue robe that looked as though it used to belong to a peasant. His eyes had bags under them from the long years of working. He removed his straw hat and bowed in respect, showing his bald head. "Thank you for inviting me to the kingdom, Your Majesties. It's always a pleasure to see old friends again."

"The pleasure is all ours," Garmadon said, "We called you here for a reason, Bin Ling."

"Explain, Your Majesty."

"Our son has been kidnapped, but we don't know who it was that took him from us. We thought it was the rebellion at first, but now we know it wasn't them. We were hoping you could help us figure this out. Who is the real culprit?"

"My mind is giving me a vision." Bin Ling closed his eyes and held up his hands. "I see two different figures. They are both wearing black. One of them looks like a regular human. The other one looks like a gigantic creature because it has red eyes. My mind has given me the answer. These two figures are the one's that are responsible for your son's disappearance."

"A human and a gigantic creature? Can you give me any other details?"

"I've figured something out. The gigantic creature is a snake man. He is a Serpentine."

"The Serpentine has our son?"

"Not anymore. I'm getting another vision. That Serpentine took your son out of the prison that he was trapped inside and was thrown out into the cold. That is all I can see."

"Our son!" Misako cried, burying her head in Garmadon`s chest.

"Is there anything more you can tell us?" Garmadon asked.

"That is all I can see," Bin Ling said, "I can see no more. I can ask the Great Sensei. He is always watching over you and your family. I ask him to do so everyday, and he always does."

"You have always been a good friend to us. Thank you."

"Allow me to do what I must do, Your Majesty." Bin Ling closed his eyes again. "Oh, Great Sensei, here what I must say. The king and queen are worried about their son and they need your help. Where is the prince? Is he alright? Will you keep your eyes on him and help guide the knights to where he is?" Silenced filled the room as Bin Ling opened his eyes. "The Great Sensei has answered all my questions. You son is still in the Northern border. He is alright and has been found by the freezing lake where he was thrown towards. I'm not sure who has him now and is keeping him safe, but the Great Sensei said he will be home soon. The knights will be led by the path where the light shines. He promises to keep his eyes on your son. As long as he does so, the prince will be under his protection."

"Thank you, Bin Ling. We're glad you were able to help us."

"Of course, Your Majesty. It's always wonderful to see you. If you ever need anything, just send me a message and I will arrive shortly. By the way, there is something that I must tell you."

"What is it?"

"In the future, great things will happen. True potentials will be revealed, great powers will be found and the kingdom of Nin will shine like never before. For the past few years, I have kept that to myself, but I thought this was the perfect time for you to know."

"Will there be a journey to do these certain things?"

"You will have to wait and see, Your Majesty. I cannot tell what will happen, but I know that it will be good when the bad comes in. Things will change for the better. Do you believe all that I say, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, I do. Goodbye, Bin Ling."

"Goodbye, Your Majesties. I hope to see you again." Bin Ling walked away from the throne room and continued on his way back outside.

"He is not like I remember him, but being older has its advantages," Misako said.

"I hope all he said is true," Garmadon said.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens next, darling."

At that moment, both the king and queen sat on their thrones. If all Bin Ling said was true, the prince would return home safe and sound and everything would be normal again. No matter how patient they could be, all the two wanted was their son back. Right then and there, Prince Lloyd was more important than anything else.

* * *

Morning has arrived in the Eastern border as the men set out to continue their journey. It wouldn't be long now before they entered the Northern border. They were traveling through the woods, but Sir Jay kept looking around, fear showing in his eyes. He was being truthful about never wanting to come back, but there was something that he hasn't told the others about. In his village, most people do not forgive others very well. If a noble ever entered the village, then they would be knocked off his horse, stepped on and having to lie there until help arrives. He's seen it plenty of times before. Being raised a middle class child has its lessons in life.

"Sir Jay, try to keep up," Sir Cole said, "What is with you?"

"Sorry, I never planned to come back here," Jay said, "I still have those thoughts of what those villagers might do to me."

"They can't do anything to you. If anything, you can hold them back. We can't just keep traveling through the woods forever. We need to find a village, refill our food supply and get ourselves to the Northern border by this afternoon. Let's get a move on, men."

After spending another half hour roaming around in the woods, a village was shown through the trees. It was quite large and had a lot of unique inventions to get work finished faster. This village may get a lot of lightning storms if it has this much technology. The Eastern border has always been known to be one of the most genuine places in Nin. The men stared at it in awed. When Jay saw it, he backed away from the trees, almost falling off his horse. His breathing became rapid, like he was hyperventilating.

"Jay, are you alright?" Sir Zane asked.

"What's wrong with him?" Kai asked.

"I guess Sir Jay saw something he didn't wanna see," Cole said.

"I saw a lot of things that I never plan to see," Jay said, "That's the village I grew up in. You plan for us to go through there?"

"What's the name of it?" Cole asked.

"Levine Village, but there is no way I'm showing my face around there again."

"I found something on the map. Your village is a shortcut to cross the borders. This may be our chance to finally get to the north. We're just so close. Looks like we have to go into that village."

"You guys can go down there if you want. I'm turning around and going back to the kingdom."

"What are you doing?" Cole walked up to Jay and blocked him from going further. "You can't just turn around and give up. What's the one thing the king always tells us?"

"I don't care about that. It doesn't matter to me. I just can't do this."

"He always says that no matter what life throws at you, you just have to go through it. You can't just give up. You have to keep going, no matter what it is or where it is."

"Listen, the people in my village don't forgive easily. It doesn't matter if they know you or not. They'll do anything to get revenge on a noble. I've seen it happen plenty of times before. We can't go through that village."

"Well, looks like we'll just have to dress like peasants."

"That won't be a problem. Peasants aren't very common in a village for middle class citizens, but in my village, they think of them as regular people. People that need help. Oh, some of them can't afford horses, though."

"We can. We'll just tell them that we bought them for a reason. If they ask, though."

"Okay, so what do we have that we can use to dress like poor people?"

"I have a few cloaks." Kai removed some out of his bag. "Take your pick."

"I think we should be glad that we brought a peasant along with us," Jay said.

After putting on the cloaks, the knights headed out into the village. Since Kai was already a peasant, there was no reason to wear a cloak. Jay had the hoodie up over his head. He didn't want the villagers to recognize him. They started off good, though. Nobody even recognized them as nobles. Once they got to the center of the village, they stopped and found a store. Cole climbed off his horse.

"I'll go inside and get what we need. You all just stay out here. Keep an eye on Rocky for me. I'll only based a minute." Cole walked inside the store.

Kai looked at Jay, who was keeping himself hidden as much as he could. He walked up to Jay. "Must you hide yourself from the shadows?"

"I can't let anybody see me,"Jay said, "If one mistake is made, I'm a dead man. They'll kick me off my horse, throw me on the ground and step on me until all the bones in my body crack. I've seen it happen a hundred times."

"Listen, just let me do all the talking. I'll keep you guys safe."

"I'm not sure Cole will like that. How can you keep us in the shadows?"

Shouting came from everywhere in the village. A noble on a horse ran until he finally stopped. "Villagers, please. I'm looking for the knights. Stop startling my horse."

"Stop," Kai said, walking up to the crowd, "Give me the message. I'll give it to the knights when I see them. Trust me." The noble gave Kai the message and ran off. The villagers left the crowd and went back to their work. Kai walked back to the knights when Cole walked out of the store, a surprised look on his face. Kai looked down at the black knight. "Don't worry. I took care of it."

"You were right, Jay," Cole said, climbing back up on Rocky, "Those people chase after a noble like they chase after a pig on the loose. Good thing we have peasant with us."

"Looks like we need to leave this village as quick as we can," Kai said, "I fear that these people will harm you if they figure out who you guys really are. We need to leave quickly."

"I had the same idea," Cole said, "By the way, what did you say to those people to get them away from that noble?"

"I didn't say anything to the people. I told the noble that I would give the message to you all. Although, I didn't say out loud that you guys were the knights, so don't worry about that. Plus, middle class citizens always listen to what a peasant says."

"That makes me feel a little better. Alright, I've restocked our food supply, so we should be good to go. Let get out of here."

As the men were walking towards the end of the village, a man came out of a store with a wheelbarrow of apples, Jay`s horse, Wisp, went crazy and ran towards the wheelbarrow. When the man saw it, he screamed and ran off, leaving the wheelbarrow full of apples on the road and giving Wisp a chance to snack on them. Jay pulled on Wisp`s rope to get him up, but he was kick off his horse and landed on the ground, his hood falling off and his face revealed in public. The man that had the wheelbarrow saw him and yelled something in Ninjian. Soon, all the villagers came out and ran up towards where the knights and Kai were.

"Looks like we've been caught," Cole said, "Sir Jay, put your horse in gear. We've got to get out of here."

Jay scrambled to get back up on his horse as the others started racing off. He kicked his horse in gear and ran off from the other villagers. He made sure the people in front of him screamed in terror as he ran towards them. After a moment of escaping, Jay made it into the woods. The others were blending into the trees, waiting for him. He ran up to them. "I made it out alive. Thanks for waiting up."

"You did blow your own cover," Cole said, "It's time you get that horse of yours under control."

"Wisp has control. I just give him a lot of apples after I finish training him. That's why he went nuts."

"It doesn't matter. Kai, do you still have that message?" Kai handed Cole the message and read through it. "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is the king and queen aren't so worried because they know that their son is still alive. They talked to someone about it. Also, it tells us who really kidnapped the prince."

"Who was it?" Kai asked.

"That's the bad news," Cole said, rubbing the back of his neck, "They don't know the identity of the kidnappers. They know that one is human and the other is a Serpentine."

"So the Serpentine are behind all of this?" Zane asked.

"That explains the other snake from yesterday," Kai said, "Is there anything else that the message says?"

"Let's see." Cole gasped. "They took him out of his imprisonment and threw him out into the middle of nowhere. Luckily, he's safe. Someone found him, but they don't know who it is. Let's just hope it's someone that will take care of him until we find him."

"What do we do now?" Jay asked.

Cole sighed. "The best thing to do is find the kidnappers first. We need to stop them so this never happens again. Here's my question. Where do we start?"

"I guess we just start heading to the border that crosses to the north," Kai said, starting off without them, "Looks like that's the river to cross. Let's move out."

The knights decided to follow the peasant. Something strange was going on with him. For some reason, he was starting to act like the leader. None of them ever saw this behavior before. Perhaps it was part of the changes that he was going through. Either way, something was up and they wanted to know. For now, they decided to let him lead the way.

* * *

 **THE KING AND QUEEN WERE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR SON SO MUCH, THEY HAD TO SEND OUT FOR THE OLDEST WISE MAN THAT EVER LIVED. GOOD THING THEY FOUND HIM. HE WAS ABLE TO TELL THEM ALL THAT THEY NEEDED TO KNOW. I WONDER WHAT GREAT THINGS WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. WELL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.**

 **JAY TRAVELED THROUGH HIS HOME VILLAGE AGAIN, BUT HE SHOULD'VE KNOWN THAT WEARING A CLOAK WAS NOT GOING TO COVER IT. LUCKILY, THEY ESCAPED JUST IN TIME. WHY IS KAI SUDDENLY ACTING LIKE A LEADER? THAT'S REALLY STRANGE.**

 **BEST STORY SO FAR.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**

 **OH, AND BIN LING WAS THE ULTIMATE WEAPON. WEIRD, HUH?**


	11. Back to The Ladies

CHAPTER 10

BACK TO THE LADIES

Carol Dominez was inside her cozy little home, making tea for Duchess Lora`s invite. She had received a message stating that the one and only Duchess is coming over to her home. Although she's been inside the Duke`s home plenty of times since she was a servant, she never expected either one of them to come inside her home. She had spent mostly all day inside the house, making sure there wasn't one speck of dust anywhere when Lora arrived. She didn't want the duchess to think she lived in a pigsty. Once the tea was done making, she placed it in a teapot and took it inside the living room, along with two cups. With nothing else to do, she sat down on her deer skin couch, waiting. Her thoughts started drifting to her fiancee. It's been almost a week since he left. She always worried about him when he went on a quest. As each passing day went by, she couldn't help but put this question in her mind- where could he be at this moment in time? Every day, she would ask the Great Sensei to bring him home safe and sound.

A knock came to the door and startled Carol out of her thoughts. She went to open it, but it did not reveal just Lora. It also revealed her husband, Duke Wu. She curtsied when she saw the both of them. "Duchess Lora, Duke Wu, how wonderful it is for the both of you to come over. Come in. Have a seat."

"Thank you, Carol," Lora said, "I've never been inside a servants house for tea, but you do so much work in our home, I'm sure you bring wonderful service in your own. By the way, your house looks wonderful. I don't see a spot of dust anywhere."

"Thank you, Duchess Lora." Carol smiled when Duke Wu did. "Is there a reason both you and your husband are here? The message stated that you were coming over."

"My husband needs to talk to you about a few things. It's about your fiancee. I told him it wouldn't be a good idea, but he insisted on it. Being the kind of wife that I am, I can't refuse the things my husband needs. After all, he is way busier than me."

"I'm very happy for both of you being here." Carol looked down at the tray. "Looks like I better get a cup for you, my Lord. I don't want to leave you out of anything."

"No need to do so," Wu said, "I already had three cups of tea before I came here."

"Alright," Carol said, "What is it that you need to talk to me about?"

"I just want to go over how your wedding plans are going to go," Lora said, "Before we even begin setting up the plans, I would like to ask you this one simple question. Would you prefer a simple wedding or a grand one?"

"It wouldn't really matter to me," Carol said, "My special day will be all about love and companionship. Being married to the man of my life is all I'll ever think about. I know what I'm saying doesn't answer your question, Duchess Lora, but Cole is all I can think about right now."

"I think you just need a cup of tea to regain you thoughts. My goodness, you can only think about love right now. Either way, marriage is all about love. It's also about being with the man you care about. Now, about what I asked earlier. Which do you prefer?"

Carol sipped her tea as she thought about the question. She set her cup down on the tray. "I think a simple wedding would be just fine. After all, I have the perfect dress, the perfect cake has been chosen and the bouquet of flowers that I found are simply beautiful. All I have to do is wait for Cole to return and he can choose whatever he wants."

"I suppose that won't be such a problem. Why such a simple wedding, though? I always thought that your wedding day was to be one of the most wonderful memories of your life. After all, the man that your marrying is a noble. He works for the king."

"It doesn't matter if he's rich or poor. I'm marrying him because I love him. Love is a strong emotion that you can have for someone, and I'm glad the love inside me brought Cole into my life. Without Cole, I don't know where I would be right now. My guess is that I would still be a servant to runaway criminals. I'm glad Cole brought this position to me. If he never found me, I wouldn't be working for you two. I'm glad that I'm working for the both of you. You both are the greatest people that I've ever known."

"I've always known you as a very sweet girl. No wonder Cole wants to be with a girl like you. Seeing you in our home will just put a smile to my face. I can guarantee you that."

"Thank you, Duchess Lora."

"My pleasure. Well, it seems that's all I needed to know. Just to clarify what we talked about. Are you sure that you want a simple wedding? It's not too late to change your mind. I'll give you some time to think about it."

"I'm sure that I want a simple wedding. There's no reason to have something grand when I don't know a lot of people. I don't even have a family anymore." Carol was on the edge of tears as she sighed. "I would like to tell you both something that nobody else knows about except for Cole. I can trust you not to tell anyone. Can I?"

"Why, of course you can, dear. Go ahead and tell us."

"I had just turned sixteen. It was the day after my birthday when it all happened. My father had asked me to go out and buy some iron, so I did. When I got back, the front door was opened. I dropped my basket and ran into the house, seeing the most horrible images that I never wanted to look at. My entire family was lying on the floor..." Tears streamed down her face. "I just can't say it. I suppose you can guess what happened. After seeing that, I fell to the floor crying. I was grabbed by my arms and knocked out unconscious. When I came to, I saw that I was surrounded by a bunch of criminals. It was that way for about three months before I met Cole and after he rescued me. My life had changed after I lost my family. I knew nothing would ever be the same."

Lora had her hands placed on both Carol`s shoulders. "I never knew. I'm terribly sorry for everything that has ever happened in the past. Now I understand completely of everything. Would you like for us to stay with you for a little bit?"

"No. I think it's best if I were just left alone."

"Whatever I had to say can wait for another time," Wu said, "I think it's best if we leave now, my love."

"You're right, my dear," Lora said, "We will see you another time, Carol."

"Goodbye," Carol said, "I hope to see you again the next time I'm at the castle."

"I hope to see you there as well. Goodbye, dear."

Once Lora and Wu left, Carol sobbed in peace. Before she met Cole, her family were the most important people she's ever known. They took care of her while she took care of them in return. Once they were taken away from her, she was never the same. By that time, she was used to being a servant to runaway criminals. After she met Cole, all of that changed. Now she was happy with the life that she was living at that point. Once her tears dried up, her thoughts went back to Cole, hoping that he would return home soon. At that point, Cole was all she had.

* * *

Inside the castle`s library, Zeah was sitting in one of the seats, waiting patiently for the queen to arrive. A message had been sent to her that the queen needed to see her at once. Zeah hoped that Duchess Lora didn't say anything about the little incident that happened on that night. Perhaps the queen just wanted to see Zeah about the plans for her anniversary. At least she was hoping it would only be about that. The door to the library opened and Queen Misako walked inside the room with a straight face. She sat down in her seat and looked at Zeah with kind and tender eyes.

"Did you need to see me for something important, Your Majesty?" Zeah asked, "Is it about the plans for my anniversary?"

"It's not about that, darling," Misako said, "Lora came by the castle last night and told me some things that happened over at your home. She said that some mistakes were made. Is that true, Zeah?"

Zeah sighed. "It is true, Your Majesty. Mistakes were made. Allow me to explain them, though. I'm not very sure Duchess Lora told you, but I will tell you myself. She's trying to make me be like all the noble women. When I told her that I had no plans to ever do so, she flicked the plate of food that I prepared for her on my face. I told her to leave, but she wouldn't until I told her why I didn't want to be like all the other women around here. I told her and I suppose that some sense was put inside her head. Did she explain that, Your Majesty?"

"She didn't tell me what happened, but thank you for letting me know. Here's what I think you should do. Ignore everything that she has to say. Don't listen to her. If she wants to talk about it, always change the subject. It may not work sometimes, but I would like for you to give it a try. If you just don't feel comfortable around her, don't invite her to your home. That should solve all the problems."

"I hope so. The years have gone by so fast. I much rather be poor again, but I love Zane too much to ever let what I have now go. I love the life that I'm living now. After I lost my father, I didn't know what to do anymore. A few months after that, I was kidnapped. A few days later, I was rescued by Zane. There is nothing interesting about my life. I am a simple young noble woman who cares about people more than she does herself. I would rather give than get. That's just the kind of person I am."

"I'm glad you think that way. Now, there's something that I was hoping you could help me with."

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

Misako took a book from her bookshelf and showed it to Zeah. "There's a page in this book that I was reading that had a very weird illustration in it. I'm not sure what it means. I was hoping that you could help me. Your husband always talks about how you have a very intelligent mind."

"Oh, he talks about me all the time. He loves me so much, I'm always part of his conversations. Did he tell you that?"

"Oh, no. I heard him telling his fellow knights that."

"What is this illustration that you speak of?"

Misako turned towards the page in the book and showed it to Zeah. "At the top of the page, it's a picture of all the knights. In the center, there's a picture of a red knight. At the bottom, there's a picture of a green knight. I've never seen anything like it before. I was hoping you could help me figure out what it means. Do you know anything?"

"I've never seen anything like this before, Your Majesty. I may be intelligent, but I don't know everything. I am afraid I cannot help you with this."

"I understand. Thank you for trying, though."

"Perhaps you should asked your wise man. He may be able to explain it to you. Was the illustration in the book when you last read it?"

"No. I had just saw it in there the other day."

"That is very strange. If it wasn't in there the first few times you read it, then there's only one explanation. The Great Sensei is giving us a sign. The only person that can explain that sign to you is your wise man. Perhaps you should go see him about this."

"If you think that's what it may be, then I suppose I'll have to do what I can. Thank you for your help."

"Of course, Your Majesty. I hope you don't mind but I need to start heading home now. I need to take care of a few things before night begins. I hope to see you again, Your Majesty."

"Goodbye, Zeah. I will see you again soon."

Misako remained in her seat as Zeah left the room. She took one close look at the illustration and sighed. How did she not notice it before? It was never in the book when she first read it. If only the Great Sensei would come to her in a dream and tell her what the illustration really means. She can't force the Great Sensei to appear, though. She has to learn the facts. The best thing to do is keep it in mind until she's ready to figure it out. All good fortunes, whether they are known as a mystery, must wait to be revealed.

* * *

Ignacia felt like a ghost town when night began. A famine was starting to enter the land, making wheat and plants difficult to grow. A few families had sold their homes and moved to different villages around the border. Plenty of civilians may live there now, but they won't for long. With the decrease in plant growth, the prices of fruit, vegetables and bread would increase. There was still plenty of food, but if people couldn't afford to buy anything, stores would start closing down and moving somewhere else. It didn't affect the blacksmith shop, though. Nya became frightened when she saw yet another carriage stroll out of the village. Looks like another person started to move out. With this many people leaving, Nya knew she would have to closed down the shop and leave the village, but where would she go? There was nowhere else to go. People were piling inside the blacksmith shop and help the place make a bit of a fortune. If Nya could make enough money, she would be able to open a new shop in Jamanicai Village. It was only thirty miles away. She wouldn't be too far from Ignacia.

Nya stopped looking out the window and turned the sign around that stated for the shop to be closed. She was hoping to make a good amount of money tomorrow. That's when she saw the bags. The three little bags of gold. She placed them under the counter so she wouldn't be tempted to look at them. It was a shame to even have them in the first place. _I only did it to protect myself,_ Nya thought, _If I didn't, that stranger would've taken me somewhere I knew I would regret going. What if he only told me that so I would gamble with him?_ Nya didn't even want to think about that word. Gamble. It was a horrible word. A sickening word. A word that bounced around her head like a ball. It was a mistake to even gamble in the first place and she knew it. She was tricked. She was forced. The guilt was eating her alive like a caterpillar eating through a leaf. She fell to the floor, tears streaming down her face. If only she knew how to fix the problem she was having.

A knock came to the door. Nya dried herself up and walked to the door. Opening it up, it was the soothsayer in town that was actually a true man of his word. Nya step up a little closer to him. "I know why you're here. I made a huge mistake. I apologize for not listening to you."

"There is no reason to apologize," the man said, "I forgive you. I have come to tell you that this famine that has come to us is your doing."

"What are you talking about?"

"The day before yesterday, the Great Sensei came to me in a dream. He told me that he would give Ignacia one more chance. If someone did one wrong thing, then a great famine would spread through the village, causing everyone that lived here to leave. The Great Sensei sent that man here to test you. He wanted to see what you would do. Unfortunately, you failed the test and won the game. Ignacia is in a bad situation now. It will not be here for long, so you better leave while you still can. In two weeks, everyone will be gone. Including me."

"Will I be able to leave the village?"

"That is for you to decide on your own. I am leaving in three days. If you would like to come with me, I will allow you to do so. I will give you some time to think about it. Good day, madam." The soothsayer left, not speaking another word.

Nya knew she had made a mistake. This famine was happening because of her. Why must people test her? What was the point of the Great Sensei testing her? There was just no reason to do so. With tears leaking out of her eyes, there was only one thing she could do. She was tired of being patient. She wanted Kai to come home. She ran upstairs to her bedroom and took out an ink and pen. Once she found the paper, she started writing down the message.

 _Kai,_

 _This may be short and it might not sound sweet, but I'm begging you to come home. Things are starting to happen in the village and I don't wanna be alone anymore. I'm scared and frightened without you here. This quest may be important to you, but I just want you to come home. Please, brother. Please come home._

 _Nya_

Nya rolled up the parchment and placed it to the side of her desk. Another piece of blank paper laid on the desk. This one was to go to the king. It was time to explain the problem of what was going on in Ignacia.

 _King Garmadon, Your Majesty,_

 _My name is Nya Smith and I live in Ignacia Village from the Southern border. The village needs your help. It's going through a great famine and nobody knows what to do. People are starting to sell their homes and leave. In two weeks, this place will be a ghost town. I work in the blacksmith shop of Ignacia. My brother left with your knights so they could help him with his gambling problem, and it was told to me that he has been cured. I brought them in to our home on the first night of their quest, so I hope you don't mind. Please help our village, Your Majesty. I don't know what to do and neither do the other civilians. Please help us with this famine._

 _Nya Smith_

Rolling up that parchment, she tied a blue colored ribbon for her brother's message and a red one for the king`s. She ran out of her home and search everywhere for a messenger in the little soon to be ghost town. Once she saw a man on a horse, she ran up to him.

"Excuse me," Nya said, "Can you do something for me?"

"Let me guess," the man on the horse said, "You want me to deliver a message for you."

"Two messages, actually. The one with the blue ribbon is for my brother, Kai Smith. He should still be with the king`s knights. The one with the red ribbon is for the king. It's important that both of them are sent."

"I'll do what I can. Have a wonderful day, madam." The man galloped on his horse, disappearing into the woods.

Nya stood there for a moment, giving a thought to the Great Sensei. She was sorry for the mistake she made. She would've known it was a test, but she fell for the bait. She wanted the Great Sensei to forgive her, but with the mistake that she made that caused the famine, she would never be forgiven again. After a moment, Nya walked home, tears streaming down her face as she blamed herself for the mess she made. What a terrible word gambling was.

* * *

 **TWO DIFFERENT GIRLS WERE RAISED POOR. ONE IS NOW MARRIED TO A NOBLE AND ONE IS ABOUT TO BE. BOTH GIRLS ARE NOT LIKE THE OTHER NOBLE WOMEN. CAROL AND ZEAH LIVE A LIFE OF THEIR OWN. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOUR RICH OR POOR. THE ONLY THING ABOUT BEING MARRIED IS THE LOVE YOU HAVE FOR YOUR SPOUSE. THAT'S JUST FROM MY MIND.**

 **IGNACIA MAY NOT BE A PLACE FOR VERY LONG. NYA GAMBLED AND NOW SHE'S BROUGHT A FAMINE IN THE VILLAGE. I HOPE WRITING THAT MESSAGE TO THE KING WILL HELP. WILL THE MESSAGE TO HER BROTHER GET TO HIM IN TIME? WELL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.**

 **THIS STORY IS TURNING OUT TO BE WONDERFUL. THERE'S JUST ONE THING THAT YOU NEED TO DO.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	12. At Night in The Northern Border

CHAPTER 11

AT NIGHT IN THE NORTHERN BORDER

The cold air came up and hit the four men in the face as they entered the Northern border. After looking to see that a blizzard might come through any moment, they decided to find a place to hunker down for the night. Sir Zane went out and found a cave, making the others follow him. Kai was shivering through his bones from the cold. He's lived in the Southern border his entire life so he wasn't used to these types of temperatures. Once Zane saw that the coast was clear inside the cave, everyone else brought their horses inside and started settling down. Sir Jay said he would make a fire. Everyone else was getting prepared to have some dinner, but it may not come if Jay would only hurry up and start the fire. At the pace he was going, everyone thought he lied about knowing how to make a fire. Suddenly, the heat came back up through Kai`s head, giving him the worst headache possible. His started started boiling like he was on fire. Without warning, a batch of fire shot out of Kai`s hand and landed in the wood pile. At least it didn't land on Jay, who jumped back and pressed himself against the wall of the cave. The heat died down in Kai`s body as he sat down and rubbed his temples.

"Well, at least we have a fire," Sir Cole said, "Speaking of which, how did you do that?"

"I don't know," Kai said, "I just started feeling the heat around my body and before I knew it, fire just shot right out of my hand. It's insanity, to be honest. Oh, sorry about that, Jay."

"Don't worry about it," Jay said, "It's not the first time anything's been thrown at me."

"This is most strange," Zane said, "You cannot automatically just have fire escape from your hands. There must be some kind of explanation for this. Maybe you inherited a power from one of your ancestors."

"Nope," Kai said, "Nobody in my family ever had special powers."

"Could it be that you are becoming one of us?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Okay, there's something that we need to tell you," Cole said, "You see, we all have a certain power that we gained when we first became knights. They are known as elemental powers. There are only four types. Earth. Lightning. Ice. Fire. There are four weapons that each knight gains when he turns twenty years old. The four weapons are known as the golden weapons. Not only will they help make our powers strong, but they will help us reach our full potential."

"Wait a second," Jay said, "How do you know all this stuff? Nobody ever told me about it."

"I talked to the duke about it. Anyway, we all have a power that relates to the border from which we came from. When you have that specific power, you are known as a master. Since I'm from the Western border, I'm known as the master of earth. Jay is known as the master of lightning. Zane is known as the master of ice. From the powers that you just showed us, I have a theory that you might be known as the master of fire. I'm not sure yet, but you may become what is inside of you. Another thing to know. Once you train enough and learn how to battle, you will be able to learn a power called spinjitzu. You already have the fire power inside of you, but you don't have any training, so you won't be able to do spinjitzu."

"I hope I'll be able to fight with you guys," Kai said.

"You won't be able to do that," Cole said, "Right now, you haven't fully put your powers under control. Once you do that, we'll consider about letting you fight with us."

"I can't believe all of this is happening to me. How can things just suddenly change for me so quickly? One day, I was a gambler, and the next day, you guys come along. I didn't have any control over myself until you brought me to Borg. He straightened me out and cured me from a sickness I've had for so long. Look at me now. I've changed so much, I decided to go on a quest just to prove to myself that I've changed. I even wanna prove it to my sister. Just look at me. I'm sitting in this cave with you guys and I just figured out that I'm harnessing a power that I never thought I would ever gain. I guess I have given back. Otherwise, the Great Sensei wouldn't have awarded me. He can see through my eyes that I've changed. Everything that I've done for the past few days have done a lot for me. I have to say that being good is the greatest feeling I've ever had."

"Not only are you a good person, but your pretty good at making up your own speeches. That's something I would never be able to do." Cole got up and removed his bag off Rocky. "Let's get some dinner in us so we can get some sleep. I'm hoping to find the prince tomorrow. Come on, men."

Once Kai had finished cooking the meat, he took out some fruit and started eating the meal that he prepared himself. It wasn't like Nya`s cooking, but it was something. How he missed his sister. Now she was the only thing that wouldn't leave his mind. She suddenly did when Kai saw Zane sitting against the wall, not eating a thing. He figured that Zane wasn't hungry and would just fall asleep in a few minutes. That didn't happen, though. Zane had got up and walked out of the cave. Being the kind of person that he was turned into, Kai walked out of the cave and followed Zane. He saw the white knight sitting against a rock, the snow falling peacefully on his face. Kai walked up to him, looking down at the knight.

"What are you doing out here?" Kai asked.

Zane sighed. "It is always a joy coming back here. That is why the Northern border is known as the place of peace. You do not ever have to worry about somebody hurting you or spitting in your eye, as Cole says. Cole and Jay live in places where people do not forgive so easily. What about you?"

"My home is just filled with gamblers and thieves. That's why a lot of nobles never come to the Southern border. You never know who your gonna come face to face with. With that being said, I see that some nobles don't like their things to be taken away from them. Don't you have anything that's like a treasure to you?"

"There is only one thing. My wife."

"Your wife? That's your treasure? I'm pretty sure that I'm talking about an object as being a treasure. Like a sword or something."

"It cannot be a sword. It cannot be a shield. It cannot be the horse that I ride. It can only be my wife. She is worth more to me than any treasure combined. I do not care about money. I do not care about fame or fortune. I only care about her. She is the center of my world. I'm glad to call her my wife."

"If I were married, I'd feel the same way. A treasure doesn't always have to be an object. It can be a person. I wish I would've known that from the start. Why are you out here, anyway?"

"I'm trying to sink in this moment of peace as much as I can. You never know what will happen in the future. You never know which breath will be your last. I'm not saying that anything can destroy us, but you just never know. Besides, I know good and well that you have never experienced a moment of peace. You haven't ever since you came on this quest. Does something feel odd to you?"

"No. Nothing does. I just wanted to give back. I'm tired of things being given to me when I should be giving things back to everyone else. I've taken a lot of money. I've taken people's pride. I even took away a lot of joy. What is it that's so important about me?"

"Everyone has that feeling and always asked that question. What is important about you? Maybe it's because you have people that care about you and think that you're important. It could be the fact that the Great Sensei is showing you how important you really are. He may be showing a path that will lead to the future. He has given you a special gift that you will be able to give back. There is nothing more that you need to give us. With the power that you have right now, you will be able to give back by helping us."

"This is a theory that I've always had for a long time. I don't think my father ever thought that I was important to him. I guess it was because of all the gambling that I ever did. I really don't know. He was never proud of me, no matter what I did. I guess I never really paid attention. That's why he gave the shop to my sister. He knew I would be too irresponsible to handle it. He knew what I was planning to do with my life. He had the theory that I would take the wrong path. I would have if I never went to see Borg. If my father were here right now, he would tell me that what I did was the right thing. I cured the sickness before it got worse. I wish he were here to see me as a changed man."

"You still have one family member left in your life. You have your sister."

"Yeah, I do. She is all I have left. I miss her. I wish this quest were over so I can go home to her. I mean, it was a good idea to come along with you guys, but I'm just starting to feel a little homesick. I'm not leaving towards the end, though. That's not what I plan to do. I don't plan to give up."

"That is the one thing you should always remember. Never give up on a quest unless it's absolutely important of why you need to go. I did it only once."

"What do you mean?"

"It was six months after my wife and I got married. I was on a quest when I received a message stating that she grew ill and she needed me home right away. I stayed up for an entire night just thinking about it. The next morning, I couldn't take it anymore. I climbed up on my horse and went back home. That is the only time you can ever turn around and leave in the middle of a quest. It's a hard decision to make, but I did what I had to do."

"Was the king okay with it?"

"He was. He even sensed that she was getting sick when I left. I asked the king why he didn't tell me about it. All he said was that some things are a test and we have to figure out which choice to make. Should I keep going or return home? He told me that family always comes first. I never forgot that."

"Before you guys came along, gambling was more important to me than anything else. I always put money first. Nya always put me first, but to me she was just someone to yell at all the time. Now I realized that money is worthless. What's the point of even having it if you can't even enjoy it? Sure, you need it to live, but money can't be used for just one person. It has to be used for everybody. I'm not the only person that can live in this world. The people that you love should always be the first thing that pops up in your mind."

"I have seen it plenty of times. That is why the king sent us on this quest. His family is as important to him as all of Nin is. Not only does he have a family of his own to take care of, but he has a whole country to protect and help the peace remain where it is now. He would do anything to find his son. He loves his family, his home and his country. He will do whatever it takes to protect the people."

"Speaking of the king, do you mind if I could meet him? I mean, I'm helping you guys on this quest, so the least you can do is let me introduce myself to the king. After all, if I am to become the master of fire, then I need to start my training soon."

"You will have to talk to Cole about that. Once we return the prince home, we will explain to the king about everything."

"Why should I have to talk to Cole about everything? Is he your leader or something?"

"Of course he is. Why do you think he has been leading us mostly this whole time? Do not worry about him, though. He only talks this much when he's on a quest. It is Sir Jay that you have to worry about being the chatterbox."

"Really? I haven't heard Jay talk that much since I've been on this quest."

"It is a bit of a switcheroo. Cole talks a lot on a quest while Jay doesn't. Jay has learned to keep it quiet while we're out in certain places like this. I may be talking a lot now, but I am mostly silent. I just usually stay on the sidelines."

"I think I know why your always silent. Your thinking about your wife. She's the only motivation of why you go out on quests. She's the only reason you're doing what you do now. Without her, you may not know where your true place in this world is."

"If it wasn't for the Great Sensei, I do not know where I would be right now. I'm not sure I would still be here. If the queen and her son never found me, I would've never been taken to the kingdom to live at. I wouldn't of became a knight. Without all that, I would not of met Zeah, the love of my life. I rescued her on a quest. It was like a fairytale and we lived happily ever after. They will always be the greatest memories I'll ever have. This is how my life shall always be."

"I'm glad you were able to let all that out. Do you mind if we could go back inside the cave? I'm not used to these types of weather conditions." If Kai knew that the north would be this cold, he would've brought his wool coat, freshly shaved off the sheep.

"Of course. Let us go back inside."

They were inside the caves, resting for a little bit. Before the men could drift off to sleep, the sound of a horse running through the snowy fields came towards the cave. A man came running inside with a look of fear on his eyes. From the uniform that he was wearing, he looked like a middle aged soldier.

"Good knights of Nin," the soldier said, "A great disturbance is happening in a village nearby. We need your help."

"Men, gather your belongings," Cole said, "We need to stop this disturbance."

Once everyone was packed up and on their horses, they followed the soldier out of the cave and towards the village nearby. This disturbance must be big. Who could it be? Was it thieves? Raiders? Runaway criminals? Could it be the kidnappers that had the prince? Whatever or whoever it was, the knights would not rest until they were found.

* * *

Night had finally fallen. The king was still up, looking over some things that were still left to do for the week that would have to continue tomorrow. He rubbed his temples. How tired he was, but he didn't plan to fall asleep. His nights were always full of fear and nightmares. Most of those nightmares included his son. The fear that he showed was if the prince never came home. He decided that the best thing to do was to not sleep at all during the night. That could be a full change of plans. Queen Misako walked inside the throne room, but Garmadon tried to pretend she wasn't there. He would do all he can not to fall asleep. Misako placed her hands on her husband's shoulders.

"Why are you still down here, my love?" Misako asked, "It is time for the both of us to go to sleep."

"I just need to finish a few things first, dear," Garmadon said, "I'll be up there when I can."

"Don't try staying up for another night, Garmadon. It didn't work last night. I know you do this when something big is going on."

"It's not that, Misako. Ever since our son went missing, I've been having these nightmares lately. I fear that the Great Sensei is only showing me these nightmares to put some fear in me. It's like he's trying to make me do something about all this, but I don't know what to do. It's like he's trying to make me go out there and find our son myself. It makes me think that my knights aren't doing what their suppose to do. I'm sending them a message to call them home. I'll do this myself."

"Garmadon, wait. Don't do this. The knights are probably in the Northern border as we speak. They're probably in the middle of a battle right now. We can't disturb them and call the three of them home. Besides, you can't just drop everything and leave. You have a kingdom to take care of."

"Our son is more important. Don't you want us to find our son?"

"I do, but you have to realize that there are other things that we need to take care of. We can't just leave the kingdom and rely on everyone else to do things that we are in charge of doing. Not only will it double the amount of our son being in danger, but it will put us in danger. I don't want that to happen, Garmadon. Going out there on your own will do nothing to help our son."

"What do you think we should do?"

"Give the knights three days to return with our son. Just three days, Garmadon. That's all I ask. That's plenty of time to find him."

Garmadon sighed. "Alright. I'll do it. Three days. If they are not back by then, I will do it myself. No, let me rephrase that. If they do not even send out a message that our son has been found, I will go out there and find him myself. Until then, there is more that needs to be done."

"It is better than nothing. Come to bed when you're ready, honey. Good night."

"Good night, darling."

Misako left the throne room. Garmadon was finally alone for a few minutes before someone else came in. It looked to be a poor man who looked as though he was sending a message. Bowing in respect, he looked into the king`s eyes. "Your Majesty, a message has been sent to you by a young woman in Ignacia Village. I have taken the honor of delivering it to you."

"Thank you," Garmadon said, "You may leave now."

"Good evening, Your Majesty." The man walked out of the room, once again bowing in respect.

Garmadon opened the message and saw that it was from a young woman. She was explaining that her village needed help as they were in the middle of a famine. People were starting to move away. There was one sentence that explained that her brother was with his knights. _Why would they let a young peasant boy go with them on a quest like this?_ Garmadon thought, _A peasant will only slow them down._ At a moment like this, he decided to place that in the back of his mind to worry about for later. A village was in the middle of a famine and this woman was the only one asking for help. He soon realized that he couldn't just drop everything and leave. He had a kingdom to run and plenty of people needed him. What could he do for a village that was going through a famine? He decided to ask someone about it.

"Charles," Garmadon called out to his royal steward.

Charles walked inside the throne room. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"A village in the Southern border is going through a famine, but I'm not very sure what to do about it."

"It is very hard to get rid of a famine, Your Majesty. The best thing to do is let the civilians in that village move away to different places. How are some of them going to do that, though? They don't have enough money to afford a new home."

"Perhaps you're right. I'll just need to keep this in mind. You may go now, Charles."

"Good evening, Your Majesty." Charles left out the room, preparing himself for bed.

Garmadon took one last look at the message. Not a lot of people ask for help in the Southern border. This woman sure did seem to have a heart. Perhaps she doesn't have enough money to find a new home. After all, she owns a blacksmith shop, so it's hard to do it all. It was best to just keep it in mind. At that moment, he could no longer keep his eyes open. It was time to call it a night. Let's make sure that things are different tomorrow.

* * *

 **OKAY, I DON'T THINK I SHOULD BE GIVING YOU AFTER SUMMARIES OF ANY OF MY STORIES ANYMORE. ITS TIME THAT I START TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF. ALTHOUGH, THERE'S NOT MUCH TO SAY, BUT I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE DOING THE SAME OLD THING ANYMORE. TODAY IS THE START OF A NEW DAY.**

 **ANYWAY, I STILL WON'T STOP DOING THIS.**

 **AWESOME STORY SO FAR.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	13. The Battle of The Kidnappers

CHAPTER 12

THE BATTLE OF THE KIDNAPPERS

The tiny little village home of the Northern border had lights on everywhere. The disturbance that erupted in the quiet place must have scared all the civilians, keeping their lights on and the children awake. The knights and Kai swept through the village, almost sliding throughout the ice and snow that piled on the ground. Villagers were starting to pile in the snow. Fear was not something most people were used to in the north. If something happened, they would simply light candles to show that someone was home, but that wasn't always the greatest idea. Once they were in the midst of the village, Sir Zane looked around and saw nothing that looked different or strange. In fact, people were looking at him with eyes of determination as they were waiting to see what he would do. Kai looked at him with suspicion.

"Why are these people just staring at us?" Kai asked, "It's like their waiting for a show to happen or something."

"They are waiting for us to get rid of the disturbance that entered the village," Zane said, "These people always expect a hero to save them. To keep them protected."

"The north is definitely different than all the other borders."

"Shh. I hear something in the distance." Zane walked up slowly to see a shadow form behind a building. Since the lights were on, it was pretty well to see that someone could be over there. Zane was only halfway there when the shadow disappeared, giving him the chance to see who was over there. Once he got close enough, there was nothing. Not a single thing. Before he knew it, Zane was pushed off his horse by getting whipped. A stinging sensation landed on his back. It was also that way with Wisp, who was whipped about six times. Suddenly, a man wearing all black with nothing more than his eyes showing jumped on the white knight's horse and ran off, right out of the village. The others soon came up and saw Zane on the ground.

"What happened?" Sir Cole asked.

"I knew someone was here, but when I checked, the lot was empty," Zane explained, "Suddenly, a man wearing nothing but black whipped me across my back and whipped my horse about six times. He jumped up on Wisp and ran off."

"That last part was the only thing we saw. Looks like we got a runaway criminal with a stolen horse on the loose. Whoever this person is, I think he may be responsible for kidnapping the prince. Sir Zane, climb up on my horse. We need to find the tracks and follow them."

"I found the tracks," Sir Jay said, pointing straight ahead.

"Then let's follow them," Cole said.

At that moment, they followed the tracks. Somehow, they led out of the village, which was a good thing, but where was this person heading? The tracks stopped right around a nearby log cabin that stood in the middle of nowhere. Who would live around a place like this? That didn't matter. The only thing that anyone cared about was finding the prince and getting out of the cold conditions of the north. Zane looked up at the sky.

"From the looks in the sky, it seems a blizzard will be heading our way soon," Zane said.

"Looks like we're gonna have to make this a quick grab and go," Cole said, "Kai, stay behind me. My fellow knights, stay behind Kai. As long as he's in the middle with two pieces of bread on both sides, he should be fine."

"Sir Cole, this is not a good time to be thinking about lunch," Jay said.

"Just do as I say."

The men walked around the cabin, careful to try and not make a sound. Shadows kept forming and it looked to be that two people were inside the home yelling at each other. They supposed that it could be an old couple that took him if they were arguing like that. Once they were behind the cabin, Cole spotted a window that wasn't closed. The prince must be freezing in there. Zane peeked his head inside, careful as he didn't want to bend his back too much. After a few seconds of calling the prince's name, he brought his head back outside.

"He is not in there," Zane said, "I sense that he is still out here somewhere in the middle of the border."

"Didn't that message state that he wasn't with the kidnappers anymore?" Kai asked.

"That's just great," Jay said, "We came all the way out here for nothing."

"That is not something a knight would ever say," Cole said, "We came here for two reasons. To get Zane`s horse back and to arrest the people that originally kidnapped the prince. Once we do that, we'll continue our search for the heir."

The yelling from inside continued to grow louder as the men walked up closer to hear what the commotion was. It didn't sound like two older couple in there. It was actually both the kidnappers yelling.

"Why would you drop the little brat off out there?" someone asked, "People live around that lake."

"You told me to jussst get rid of him," the other person said, "What elssse did you want me to do?"

"If that was the case, I would've left him down in that basement and let him freeze to death down there. I would've had half the kingdom's treasures by now. I could've been rich. But no. You had to come along and start telling me what to do. If that was also the case, I shouldn't of kidnapped the prince in the first place."

"Did you really think I wanted only half the money that the kingdom isss worth? That will never happen. Besssidesss, I have other plansss. Once the king isss dissstracted enough, he will want to find hisss ssson on hisss own. When that isss all covered up, we will have the kingdom to ourssselvesss."

"That was never the plan. There's only one thing I plan to do now. I'm turning myself in."

"What? You can't do that."

"I can and I will. What you have to say, I will never listen."

"Now's our cue, men," Cole said, "Let's take those thugs down."

The knights ran up to the door and started kicking it until it broke down. The two men wearing black looked at the knights with a lot of confusion. It was easy to see because only their eyes were showing. Without another word, a full out battle had soon begun. Cole pushed Kai behind the couch and started battling the man that looked like a snake. Kai hid himself good behind the couch and started feeling the heat once more. This time the sensation was too painful to bear. Suddenly, without warning, fire struck from Kai`s hands and shot out at certain places, making the ceiling fall to the ground and making things start to catch on fire. At that point, Kai took himself away from behind the couch. He saw Cole with a busted lip and a gash on his cheek. The whip mark on Zane back started oozing as he kept bending over. He had some cuts on his cheeks and under his left eye. A scratch was left on Jay`s eyebrow while his eye started swelling up. These guys were in a pretty bad position. Kai knew they needed help.

Drawing his sword, Kai made his way into the battle, fighting the person that was a regular human. The masked man didn't have a weapon, but he knew martial arts pretty well. Kai wasn't really trained at sword fighting, but he knew a few things about it. Every time he swung his sword at the man, he dodged. Every time the man threw a punch at Kai, he dodged. Once the mysterious man punched Kai in the face, it was all up to his body to defend himself. Kai put his sword away and stared at the man face to face. After a few seconds, Kai kicked the man in the stomach, thinking he heard a few ribs break. This masked guy wouldn't give up though. Kai looked towards the knights. Both Jay and Zane were down, unable to get up, but Cole continued to fight the snake man, who actually had a weapon. Without noticing, the mysterious person threw a blade at Kai, but it only cut through the sleeve of his shirt. At least it didn't make a cut. The man mumbled something and stood up, running up to Kai and punching him in the face. A bruise would be left on his cheek for sure. He punched back, but the man just kept dodging. Using his feet this time, Kai kicked him in the face and sent him across the room, breaking a few things. This time, the man couldn't get up. It gave Kai a moment to help Cole in battle, but it was already too late. Cole was on the ground, but there was no sign of the snake man. He must have ran off, but where did he go? There's was no time to think about that at the moment. Kai helped the knights up and brought them over towards the man who was breathing heavily thanks to Kai kicking him in the stomach. Kai brought out his sword and pointed it at the man.

"Look, we didn't come here to fight, but if that's what we had to do, then we'll do it," Kai said, "We only came here to take back the person that you took from the king and queen. Where is the prince?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man said, "I don't have anything. Just leave me alone."

Cole placed his sword near the man's chin. "Don't play dumb. We just heard that conversation you had with that other guy. Where did you take the prince to?"

"Listen, he took the prince near some lake," the man said, "That's all I know. Listen, I didn't wanna kidnap the prince in the first place. He wanted to. I was forced to do it. Now I'm known as an accomplice and I'm heading for the slammer. Just take me to jail. I don't care anymore."

"So you were only an accomplice?" Kai asked.

"That's all I am," he said, "That's all I'll ever be."

Making sure the man didn't move, he removed the mask off his head and saw him with blue eyes and brown hair that was styled in the weirdest way possible. He did look like the kind of guy who wouldn't wanna be an accomplice.

"What's your name?" Cole asked.

"My name is Dareth," he said, "If that's all you wanted to know, I won't say anything else."

"Good enough," Cole said.

"There is still one more question to ask," Zane said, pointing his sword at Dareth`s chin, "Where is my horse?"

Dareth shook in fear. "Listen, I had to get a horse. That snake man needed it so he could ride into villages and raid into people's homes. He'll do anything to be rich. He'll do anything to get his hands on the kingdom."

"We need to stop him before he does anything drastic," Cole said.

Horses ran to the log cabin as two soldiers found the knights inside. Zane walked up to them. "He is an accomplice to the person that has kidnapped the prince. Take him away."

"Let's start heading to the village," Jay said.

They all climbed up on their horses and ran back to the village that was being disturbed moments before. This time, villagers started running out of their homes and into the streets, some of them with children or animals in their arms. Some of them had personal belongings. The village started going through mayhem as another house was being raided. The residence were forced to leave the house. Giving them the perfect timing, the men ran towards the house and climbed off their horses, walking by the door. When it opened, the snake man came out with a sack in his hands. Swords were drawn to his chin.

"Thisss isssn`t what it looksss like," the snake man said.

"Drop the sack," Cole said, "Your days of thieving and kidnapping are over. Just give up."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Without warning, a sword was swung at his face, leaving a cut on his cheek. Green ooze started running out through it. He look to see that it was Kai, since his sword wasn't placed on the snake`s chin. The snake looked at Kai. "It looksss like you need to be taught a lessson."

With that, the snake brought out his sword and swiped away the other knights. He swung his sword at Kai`s face, giving him a cut that looked pretty severe, but not too bad that it needed to be stitched up. With that, a battle between the snake man and Kai began. The knights came in to help, but the masked snake man smacked them with his tail so hard, they fell to the ground. Even Cole wasn't able to get up. It was a human and a snake. Kai made the first move, but the snake dodged it. The snake made the next move and didn't miss Kai as he knocked him against a building. Kai was lucky that he didn't go through the window. Once he recovered, the fight continued. It started out as a sword fight, but once Kai was able to gain some strength, he bent the snake man's sword and knocked it out of his hand. Kai thought he had won, but the snake took out another sword and continued the battle.

The swords kept clanging until Kai had felt the burning sensation in him once again. This time it traveled up to his sword and started placing scorching marks on his opponent's weapon. With too many burnt marks on the snake`s sword, it was completely useless, which gave Kai the opportunity to knock it out of his scaly hands. It seemed as thought Kai`s opponent had no other weapons to use. He did have one thing, though. Using his giant tail, he used it to whip Kai in the face, leaving a gigantic red mark under his eye. Before the snake could do it again, Kai held out his sword and made his opponent slice off the end part of his tail, green ooze splattering all over the snow. He screamed and winced in pain, but he refused to give up. Having only the use of his hands, he punched Kai so hard that it sent him all the way back to the entrance of the village. It would've knocked him out, but Kai was not losing this battle. Once his opponent returned to him, Kai stood up and prepared himself. Just when the snake was about to punch him again, he held out his sword and let the snake`s hand slice through. At that moment, the snake fell to the ground. The pain was too unbearable to ignore. Kai placed his sword on the snake`s chin.

"There's nothing you can do now," Kai said, "It's best to just give up."

"What makesss you think I'm going to do that?" the snake asked.

The sword started digging into the snake`s chin, causing green ooze to leak onto the weapon. Kai`s eyes started burning with heat. Using his free hand, Kai showed the fire and held it right at the snake man's eye, leaving third degree burns around it. Screaming in pain, the snake backed his head away. Kai made the flames disappear.

"Had enough, frightened little cat?" Kai said sarcastically.

"Firssst of all, I'm a sssnake," the snake said, "Sssecond of all, yesss. I've had enough. I'm done. I sssurrender. Jussst do whatever you want with me."

Suddenly, some rope was tied around the man. Cole wrapped it around the snake, having only one eye opened and the other one half opened since it was whipped. He pointed his sword at the snake`s chin. "I'm gonna give you ten seconds to explain. Where is the prince?"

"Your going to need to give me more time than that," the snake said.

"Five seconds remaining."

"I dropped him off by a lake. There, I sssaid it."

Cole removed his sword off the snake`s chin and reached out his hand to remove his masked. Once he did, he gasped. The person under there the whole time was someone he never planned to see. "Pythor!"

"Who?" Kai asked.

"Yesss, it isss me," Pythor said, "Pythor B. Chumsssworth. It isss ssso wonderful to sssee you again, Cole. How long hasss it been? A year? Two yearsss? Goodnessss me, I've lossst track of time. I can't remember the lassst time we were face to face with each other."

"What do you want this time, Pythor?" Cole asked.

"You know exactly what I want and I'm not going to ssstop until I get it. You know me too well."

"What do you want with the prince?"

"That isss none of your concern. I will never talk."

"Have it your way." Cole put his sword away. "Guards, take him away. Make sure he's in the king`s dungeon when we return home."

"Sssorry, boysss. I'm not going anywhere."

Pythor slithered his way out of the rope and used his free hand to remove it off his body. The guards ran up to him, but before they could catch him, Pythor had disappeared through a thick cloud of smoke. Once it cleared up, he was nowhere to be seen. It was like he had disappeared into thin air.

"Where did he go?" Kai asked, sword drawn in his hands, "We have to find him."

"There's no use in doing that now," Cole said, "For all we know, he's sent himself back into the underground world with all the other Serpentine. I just hope he stays there. Come, men. The sun is peeking over the horizon. Let's find the prince."

"Where do we even begin looking?"

"Just follow the light. The Great Sensei will lead us there."

The men climbed on their horses and continued forward. They decided that the best thing to do was move slow. Zane`s horse was not in the best condition to travel, so the best thing was to travel lightly. Keeping an eye on the road where the light was shining, they were hoping the prince was somewhere safe.

* * *

Inside a tiny little room upstairs in a little village home, Prince Lloyd was sleeping peacefully in a soft comfortable bed made of moose and bear fur. Lloyd had grew a fever yesterday. His whip lashes were covered in the softest bandages that could be found. He was given a new set of clothes to wear since his other ones were dirty and needed to be clean. The severe cuts were patched up as the small ones still showed up on his sweet little face. His fever had cleared up, but he was still tired from the experience he'd been through for the past week. A few minutes after he was left out in the cold, a friendly young couple found him and brought Lloyd inside their home and took care of him. They were sweet to him and they sounded like his parents back at the kingdom. He was hoping to be found soon. At least he wasn't being tortured anymore.

Sounds could be heard coming up the stairs as he heard the sweet lady's voice. "We knew the young one had to be the prince. The poor child shouldn't be left out in the cold like that. We brought him in without any hesitation." The door opened as well as Lloyd's eyes. When he looked closely, he saw the knights come inside his room.

"Young Prince," Sir Cole said, "We have come to take you home."

Lloyd jumped out of the bed and ran straight into Cole's arms. After a week of fear and weakness about not ever going home again, the knights had finally found him. The moment had come. It was time to return back to the castle.

* * *

 **OKAY, THIS WAS A GOOD CHAPTER. LOTS OF BATTLE SCENES. YAY, LLOYD HAS BEEN FOUND. NOW HE CAN GO HOME.**

 **OMG, I AM GETTING SO MANY IDEAS FOR NEW STORIES. I'M SORRY. I JUST HAD TO TELL YOU.**

 **GREAT STORY. I KNOW IT IS. GOTTA GO.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	14. Traveling Home

CHAPTER 13

TRAVELING HOME

It had been two days since Pythor was defeated, but he was still not behind bars. He would be found one day. The best thing was to let him stay underground. After the battle, the prince had been found and found a boat they could use to ride back home. None of them were in the condition to travel by foot. Even Zane`s horse was in no condition. The best thing to do was find something else to travel in and stay off their feet. They were all tired from a long week, even Lloyd, and it was time to start heading home. Sir Cole had received a message stating they were to be home in three days, but he sent one back stating that the prince had been found. By the looks of the land, they should be arriving back home this afternoon. Kai had received a message yesterday afternoon. His sister was begging him to come home. It looks like she missed him an awful lot. Everyone was trying to rest that morning. Zane was caring for Wisp. Jay was guarding Lloyd as he fell asleep, Cole was sitting on a crate and Kai was looking out at the lake. Footsteps came up behind Kai as Cole stood next to the bow.

"What are you thinking about?" Cole asked.

"I'm just thinking about what the future may hold," Kai said, "What's gonna happen to me now?"

"Well, were gonna take you to the king. Your gonna show him your powers and he'll tell you when your training will begin. He may not start it for the next couple of weeks. With Zane`s second anniversary party, my wedding and Prince Lloyd's birthday coming up, he'll have a lot on his plate. None of us will have time to set up the training course for you."

"I'm not really in the mood for training. I just wanna see my sister again. I'm starting to worry about her."

"Once you meet the king and everything else, you can go home, but you'll have to come back. Since you'll become a noble, the king will offer you temporary housing inside the kingdom until you can find a place of your own. It'll take some time, but the king will let you stay there for as long as you want."

"I'm kind of nervous to meet him."

"There's nothing to worry about. Once you get used to seeing him around, you won't feel so nervous anymore."

"I'm gonna change the subject. I don't get it. You told me that when a snake is stabbed and defeated, he's sent to the underworld and is part of the skeleton army. I sliced off Pythor`s tail and his arm. Why didn't anything happen to him?"

"Pythor is different from all the other snakes. He's their king. Once he's king, there's no way you can destroy him in the way you can destroy a regular snake. There's only one way you can destroy him, but it doesn't exist anymore. I wish it did, though. It would be easier to get rid of him."

"What was it called?"

"I don't remember. I read about in a book I had, but I can't find the book."

"Here's another thing. What did Pythor mean when he said it was wonderful to see you again? When did you two meet? Was it during a quest or something?"

"It was. I went alone. Pythor was the biggest enemy I've ever fought. I went back to the Western border because their was some thievery going on. The thief happened to be Pythor. I spent three days fighting him until I finally figured out how to send him back to where he came from. It was a rhyme I found written on a rock. When I said it, he disappeared. I finally passed out after that. When I came to, I was at home. It's been a while since I saw him. Now that he's back, I know he'll return for revenge."

"What does he want?"

"He wants to take over Nin. That's all he's ever wanted. That's all I know."

"I can't believe everything that's happened. I have to thank the Great Sensei for that. If it wasn't for all the people in my life, I would've ended up in the dungeon for gambling with a noble. I think I may have gotten on the wrong foot when I first met you guys. Sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize, you know."

"I know, but I just wanna make sure that you forgive me."

"If I didn't forgive you, I wouldn't of let you come on this quest in the first place. There's nothing you have to worry about anymore."

"The only person I need to worry about is my sister. I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she is."

"Sir Cole." The voice belonged to the little prince. He walked up towards Cole and Kai. "Are we almost home?"

"We'll be there soon, little guy," Cole said.

"I'm so tired. I can't sleep on the beds on this boat. Either the beds are just uncomfortable or its because of my injuries."

"I think it's just because of your injuries. To me, the beds are just uncomfortable."

"I hated every single bit of it. Except the part where you guys came and got me. After all that, I just wanna be with my parents again."

"You'll get to be with them soon. I promise."

Lloyd looked up at Kai. "Who is he?"

"He's somebody that we found while looking for you. He used to be a gambler until we took him to someone that helped him. He's a changed man with a good heart. Plus, he might become a knight."

"That's cool. It's nice to meet you."

"It's good to meet you as well, my prince," Kai said.

"You don't have to call me that unless we're around my parents," Lloyd said.

"Were five minutes away from the docks," the owner of the boat said, "Start preparing to exit the boat."

"That's the cue for me to start heading home," Lloyd said.

"Let's start getting things situated, men," Cole said.

After a few moments of straightening up and saddling on their horses, the men and the prince left the boat and made their way to the kingdom. Once people started seeing the prince, they followed the horses like it was a parade. The castle was only a few minutes away. They could make it. The cobblestone road that led the way made noises every moment as they finally made it to the gates of the kingdom. The men removed themselves off their horses and led the prince up the stairs. The king and queen couldn't wait another moment as they ran down the stairs and placed their son in both their arms. Queen Misako was crying tears of joy as King Garmadon had a single tear fall from his eye. Tears fell from Lloyd's eyes, but he didn't make a sound. Misako walked back with her son inside the castle. Garmadon stayed outside as the men bowed in respect.

"My fellow knights, I give you my thanks," Garmadon said, "I know that you showed a lot of courage and determination on this quest. I thank you for bringing home my son. You are all the greatest knights the kingdom has ever had."

"It was an honor, Your Majesty," Cole said, "There is someone here that we found along the way that was great help to us during this quest. He holds a significant power that may help us in the near future. May I present to you, Your Majesty, Kai Smith."

Kai walked up to the king and bowed in respect. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."

"The honor is all mine," Garmadon said, "I hear that you hold a very significant power. Would you mind showing it to me?"

"Not at all, Your Majesty." Kai formed a small patch of fire in his hands, getting a surprising gasp from the crowd. "Is it surprising, Your Majesty?"

"I've never seen anything like it. You hold an elemental power that I've never seen before. For a peasant, I'm sure you show a lot of courage and strength on this quest. I've never seen a person like you show anything like you just did. I would like to make you an honorary knight. From this moment forward, you are now known as the red knight. The knight of the Southern border. The master of fire. As the king of Nin, you are one of the greatest heroes I've ever know."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Your training will begin in a couple of weeks. For now, I would like you to return home to your sister. She needs you now more than ever. A famine has entered your land and she needs your help."

"A famine? I need to get home. It was wonderful to meet you, Your Majesty."

"It's always wonderful to meet a brave person like you. I'll see you soon. Go home, young one."

Kai ran up to the knights. "I'm sorry to leave on such short notice, but my sister needs me. I must return home. I promise to return to the kingdom soon."

"Stay safe, Kai," Cole said, "As of now, you are officially invited to my wedding."

"It would be an honor to invite you to my anniversary party," Zane said.

"Your also invited to Prince Lloyd's birthday party," Jay said, "As long as you can make it."

"I will try," Kai said, "Goodbye, fellow knights. I hope to see you again."

Waving goodbye, Kai climbed up on his horse Flames and took off. Galloping away on the cobblestone road, Kai was so glad to be home safe. He can't wait to see his sister again. He was hoping that she was okay. _How did a famine end up in Ignacia?_ Kai thought, _I hope it didn't have something to do with the soil or anything_. Little did Kai know that Nya was the reason for the famine. That was never a thought that entered Kai`s head. Nya was the only thought that he had.

* * *

Another day passed by. Food was starting to become scarce and so were villagers. It seemed that more and more people were leaving everyday. Even the soothsayer of the village decided to leave early. The blacksmith shop was empty that afternoon. Nya decided to close the shop early. She had more customers that morning than ever before. Now the place was just empty. Nya had to face the facts. This famine was all her fault. She had the courage to just wanna go outside and scream out that she was the cause of it all, but she didn't dare do so. She knew what would happen if she did. If only Kai were there with her. He wasn't, though. It was best to just face reality. Since this was her fault, she had to suffer the consequences. If Ignacia was going down, she was going down with it. It was best to do nothing ever again. Just when Nya was about to lose hope, she saw a familiar face outside, climbing off his horse. She opened the door before her brother could even knock.

"Kai," Nya said, wrapping her arms around her brother.

"Nya," Kai said, doing the same, "I'm glad to see that you're safe. Are you alright?"

"I don't know, Kai. I really don't know." Nya buried her head in Kai`s chest.

"I heard a famine was spreading throughout the village. What's the matter?"

"Oh, Kai, it's all my fault. I'm the reason for the famine. The Great Sensei has cursed me."

"Your the reason? What are you talking about?"

"This famine is all because of me. I did the worst thing I could ever possibly do. I gambled, brother. I gambled. The Great Sensei tested me. I failed and won. He cursed Ignacia and placed it under a famine. I did the worst thing I could ever possibly do. I ruined our lives. I have a gambling problem. I don't know what to do about it. I wished you would've came home sooner. I really need your help. I don't know what to do anymore." Her sobbing increase in noise level.

Kai started shushing her calmly as he place his hand on her forehead. "Hey, hey. There's nothing to worry about. It's okay. I'm here now. Your big brother is here to help."

"If you weren't good at heart, you wouldn't be trying to help. You have become a changed man."

"That's me. You can thank Borg for that. He's the one that straightened me out. I'm glad you were able to keep the shop in one piece."

"It won't be like this for long. Sooner or later, they'll force us to leave. Where are we gonna go, Kai?"

"Let me explain. Well, as a matter of fact, let me show you." Kai formed a small flame of fire in his hand, making Nya gasp in surprise. "I have an elemental power."

"What do you mean?"

"Throughout the quest, I've been feeling a burning sensation inside my body. It first started happening the day after I became a changed man. The day everything started turning out different. The entire time, I was clueless to see that I was gaining an elemental power. It's like the Great Sensei is rewarding me or something. Or maybe I was destined to have this type of power."

"Who told you there was a famine here? I know I didn't tell you. I was just begging for you to come home."

"The king told me. I met him a few hours ago. Who sent him a message about it?"

"I did. The village needed help and nobody else here was going to ask for it. It's like I always say, if you want something done, you'll have to do it yourself."

"You won't have to do that anymore. I just found us a new home and I want us to move there right away."

"Where are we living at? Is it in a different border?"

"It's in the midst of all the borders. We're moving to the kingdom. The king has offered to give us temporary housing until the both of us can find a place of our own. He saw that I showed a lot of bravery and strength on this quest and has rewarded us. I'm becoming a knight. I will be known as the red knight. The knight of the Southern border. The master of fire. Plus, my training begins in a couple of weeks, so we'll have to leave soon."

"This is the best news I've heard in a while." Nya hugged her brother. "I've been scared to death for the past couple of days. What with you not coming home and people leaving the village. It's just been a frightening era for me. Now that your telling me all this, I feel less worried. I feel safe and secured. There's nothing to think about anymore."

"Why don't we go ahead and start packing? Well leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good. First, let's put some ointment on your face and patch it up. Next time you leave like that, don't forget the first aid kit."

"I won't. I promise."

Nya sighed calmly. "I guess it's time to start getting used to the new Kai."

"That's what it's starting to sound like."

The first few minutes of being at home required Kai to have a little treatment on his face. Ointment was placed on the whip lash while the cuts were placed with both medicine and bandages. After the first aid care was over with, Kai went into the halfway empty town and bought a carriage that was one horse power. Nya had already finished packing by the time Kai came home. Once Kai finished his own packing, Nya had made supper. He was so hungry, his own sister thought a pig had entered the house. She was laughing mostly the entire time. Afterwards, Kai soaked himself with some bathwater and went straight to bed. His mind was filled with good dreams this times. Dreams about becoming a knight. Dreams about keeping his country protected. A good dream was something Kai had been hoping for a long time. He's glad his dream had come true.

The next day, Nya and Kai filled the carriage wagon up with so many bags. Nya had a lot more than he did. The ladies will always have more. Nya decided not to take the money. She left it under the counter in the blacksmith shop. It would be best to leave it where it's at. That's the reason why she was cursed in the first place. It was time to forget about that. The kingdom was their new home and nothing was going to stop them from going to it. Not even three cursed bags of gold was going to stop them. Once Flames took off, they left the blacksmith shop and their old home for good. They never had to worry or fear anything again.

* * *

 **OH, YEAH. THINGS TURN OUT WELL IN THE END.**

 **WHAT? DID YOU THINK THIS WAS THE LAST CHAPTER? NOT A CHANCE. THE NEXT CHAPTER I WRITE WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTER, AND YOU WILL BE SURPRISED BY WHAT IT'S ABOUT.**

 **THIS HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL CHAPTER I WROTE.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	15. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

THE END... OR IS IT?

When Kai and Nya first moved inside the kingdom, a lot was to be prepared and there were things to do. The king made sure to place the two young siblings in rooms close to each other so they would never be too far apart. They had their own space inside the kingdom. It was like their new home, but bigger and different. It would take some time to grow accustomed to their new surroundings. They would no longer do their own cleaning, cooking or anything else. With so much going on, the maids and servants would take care of it all. They even replaced the siblings old clothing with new fashioned wonders. They even gave Kai his knights gi. It suit him well.

They were invited to almost everything. Ceremonies, parties and balls. New outfits being made everyday for how the weather may be or what the new day would bring. In different colors and unknowable designs. A ball was held in honor of Sir Zane and Lady Zeah`s anniversary. An evening of love was in the air. A week later, Sir Cole and Lady Carol were married, becoming one of the most greatest couple the kingdom had ever seen. At both celebrations, Sir Jay was finally able to ask the girl of his dreams, Miss Jennifer Flannelstone, to dance with him. The moment for him to find his true match may already be found. It would take some time, but they will start falling in love with each other soon. A couple of weeks after the wedding, Cole and Carol returned just in time for Prince Lloyd's birthday party. The kingdom threw the biggest celebration of all time just for the young now eleven year old boy.

It was the day the young prince was given the royal family heirloom. The Sword of All Powers. It was a powerful sword that can only be used by the next heir to the throne and he must guard it his entire life until the next heir was to come along. If it fell into the hands of any villain, it could lead to the biggest mistakes of all time. As the party continued, two pairs of red eyes shown through the tree. It laughed in its evil way. Evil will never give up, no matter what one does to defeat it. Evil will return. It always does.

What about Kai and Nya? Nya had her eyes on a specific boy who turned out to be the duke of Nin`s son. His name was Caleb. Such a nice name for a handsome man. Somehow, she was starting to fall head over heels for him. He may not notice now, but he will soon. As for Kai, he finally started his training the day after the prince's birthday. The knights were back in business as they were training their new member of the team.

Evil will never rest, and neither will the knights. They will continue with their training and fighting until peace has been completely restored over Nin. Nobody knows when that day will come, though. When it does, the knights will be ready.

* * *

"Nothing can stop the heroes of Nin from protecting Nin and bring back the peace," Sensei Wu read from the book he was reading out of, "They know that by the time evil escapes, the light will shine once more." Sensei closed the book as he looked at the children in front of him. "So, what did you think about it?"

"Every part of that book was the best I've ever heard," Lloyd said.

"I like all the parts about love," Monica said, "I even like the part where the gambler finally changed his ways."

"It was actually a splendid book," Zelda said, "I actually enjoyed it."

"I like it, but there's just one little flaw," Nick said, standing up.

"Here we go again," Lloyd said.

"It has too many secrets. A lot of questions will be asked in the end. Will the snake king ever be fully destroyed? They've already found the red knight, but will they ever find the green knight? Who is the green knight, anyway?"

"I have to agree with Nick," Monica said, "Will the red knight ever find love?"

"What happens after the black knight and his lovely new bride are married?" Zelda asked, "What will happen with the white knight and his wife? Will they ever start a family of their own?"

"What about the thing they said that could be used to destroy the snake king?" Lloyd asked, "Will they ever figure out what it is? Will the black knight ever find the book he misplaced?"

"Here's the biggest question of all," Nick said, "Have they made a sequel to this story that will answer all our questions?"

"All the questions that you have asked me, I cannot answer," Sensei said, "About them making a sequel. There is one."

"Awesome," Lloyd said, "Do you know where you can find it?"

"Lloyd, I'm sure plenty of bookstores have it," Zelda said.

"No need to do that," Sensei said, "I already have it."

"You have it?" Monica said, jumping up in her father's lap, "Can you read it to us, Daddy? Please, please, please?"

"Another day, darling. Night has begun. It is time for everyone to start getting ready for bed."

Even though the story has not been told today, there will always be another day. Another day is when the light will shine. People cannot keep secrets forever. The story must go on. Every good book must come to an end, but there will always be a continuation. Some secrets are meant to be kept, but they will be released in the near future. The story will return one day, but let the suspense begin. May the light shine through all of Ninjago.

* * *

 **I KNOW THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT, BUT IT DOES BRING OUT A PRETTY GOOD ENDING. ALL GREAT ENDS MUST COME TO AN END SOMETIMES.**

 **ABOUT THAT SEQUEL THAT I MAY BE WRITING. I'VE DECIDED TO WAIT ON THAT. MAYBE AFTER I FINISH WITH THE NEXT SERIES, WHICH WON'T BE UNTIL NEXT YEAR. I HAVE SO MANY OTHER STORIES ON MY MIND, I JUST HAVE TO WRITE THEM.**

 **I WILL BE BACK SOON.**

 **MAY THE LIGHT SHINE WITHIN YOU.**

 **lovesgod12 OUT!**


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